When buying a listed building, it's important to have a Listed Building Survey carried out by a professional listed building surveyor to uncover potential structural defects.
Listed Building Surveys are a specialist field and a Listed Building Surveyor has the qualifications and experience to understand the nuances of these properties.
This article covers everything you need to know about hiring a listed building surveyor, from the costs to what their services cover.
What is a Listed Building Survey?
A listed building survey is a detailed visual inspection of a historic and protected home. Surveys can be undertaken on all manner of homes. In the case of a Listed Building Survey, this is undertaken by a specialist who understands historic and period homes.
Your surveyor will review the interior, exterior and grounds of the property. This can provide you with invaluable information and help you decide whether to continue with the purchase.
This survey can also prepare you for maintaining the property if you buy the home. For example, how to repair and manage common issues like damp and timber decay problems.
What Is Included in a Listed Building Survey?
A Listed Building Survey, much like a RICS Level 3 Home Survey, provides a thorough evaluation but delves deeper into specific key areas. During the survey, your surveyor will thoroughly assess the following aspects:
Detailed inspection (roofing to the foundations)
Materials and methods used during construction
The age and historical significance of the property
The structure of the property
Highlight and major issues with the property
Any damage or defects to the property
Required maintenance and repairs
If there was Listed Building Consent for any alterations
Advice on the process of applying for Listed Building Consent
Recorded levels of damp, using a damp meter
What Does the Report Look Like?
The Listed Building Survey Report is similar to the Level 3 Home Survey and includes a traffic light system, categorising issues found during the survey by their level of severity. Each issue will either be green, amber or red.
The report contains a breakdown of each inspected area of the building and your surveyor will comment on their condition. They'll also advise on any potential issues and how they could be resolved.
A Listed Building Survey will tell you if the property requires any further investigation and may give an idea of the costs for some of the repairs. However, many costs are difficult to assess without further investigation from experts.
Listed buildings are split into grades to determine how they should be maintained. According to Historic England, these are graded as:
1. Grade I – The building or site is of exceptional national, architectural or historical importance.
2. Grade II* – Buildings with more than a special interest. Less than 6% of listed buildings are categorised as Grade II*.
3. Grade II – Buildings of special interest. Around 92% of all listed buildings are within this category.
To learn more, read our guide on listed building grades.
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How Much Does a Listed Building Survey Cost?
A Listed Building Survey will cost around £629* in 2025 for a property valued at the average UK price of £292,000. This is based on the cost of a RICS Level 3 Home Survey so you should expect to pay more as listed buildings require further specialist inspections.
Additional costs can vary from a few hundred pounds to over £1000 depending on the chosen surveyor. Survey prices will fluctuate based on the value, size, location, age, condition and complexity of the building in question, so it's important to compare quotes and consult with surveyors to make an informed decision.
Here is a breakdown of the cost of the main types of house survey for comparison:
| Report Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Level 1 (Condition Report) | £380 |
| Level 2 (HomeBuyers Report) | £445 |
| Level 3 (Building Survey) | £629 |
| Listed Building Survey | £629 - £1000+ |
To learn more, read house survey costs
What Does the Buyer Need to Do?
When initially viewing the property, note down anything you spot of particular concern and highlight these to your surveyor. They can then pay particular attention to these areas and provide a more detailed report on any key issues found.
Before the survey, contact the seller to ensure all necessary areas of the property are clear and easy to reach. The survey should be organised for a time that is convenient for the owner.
There is little that the buyer will need to do for the survey once it has been arranged. Throughout the process, you should maintain communication with the seller and the surveyor to ensure the survey has been carried out successfully.
Why Do I Need a Specialist Listed Building Survey?
A specialist building survey is important as it will help you understand the property's condition and allow you to make plans for any repairs or maintenance after you have purchased the property.
The historic building survey will help you learn the requirements expected of you when becoming the legal owner of a listed property. Its main benefits include:
Expert Opinion
A listed building surveyor will provide an expert opinion on the property you're buying. They'll have in-depth knowledge and experience of these historic buildings. You can also learn whether it's a worthy investment.
A chartered surveyor who is also a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) will understand any legislation surrounding these buildings. This will offer peace of mind that everything has been considered and raised before your purchase goes through.
Specialist Knowledge
A specialist surveyor can answer any questions you have and investigate whether there have been any previous unauthorised alterations to the property. If permission has not been granted for these alterations, they can provide evidence of this.
This can help you negotiate the case and potentially avoid any penalty or fine after the property has been purchased. With their specialist knowledge, they will be able to give you a much better idea of the issues that occur with older buildings.
Receive Advice
Your building surveyor will offer advice on future changes to the property. This will include whether changes you want to make are likely to be accepted as well as how you can get the necessary permissions.
Repair Work
An outline of any repair work and costs can be included in the Listed Building Survey Report. This will cover many building elements such as the windows, walls and roof. It also discusses any potential defects such as brickwork concerns, cracks, and timber decay problems.
Listed Building Consent
Your surveyor may be able to advise you through the process of applying for Listed Building Consent. This will include the preparation and creation of a Heritage Statement to support your application. These statements are a separate service from the initial survey and you will be charged accordingly.
Is a Level 2 Survey Suitable for a Listed Building?
A RICS Level 2 Home Survey is not suitable for listed buildings because it's not comprehensive or extensive enough. This survey type does not cover period properties or those that use uncommon materials and are therefore suited to new property types.
A Level 3 Home Survey and a Listed Building Survey will highlight issues a Level 2 Survey cannot pick up on, including under floorboards and structural integrity.
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Key Takeaways
When purchasing a listed building, it's crucial to have a Listed Building Survey carried out on the property to ensure it's structurally sound and doesn't have any major areas of concern. The survey contains a RICS Level 3 Home Survey and additional checks on the property's condition. These checks are vital as they will uncover defects or issues with Listed Building Consent.
While a RICS Level 3 Home Survey costs £629 on average, you can expect to pay up to £1000 or more in addition to this for a Listed Building Survey. This is due to the additional inspections and reporting involved with the service. As this is a specialist survey, you should always hire an experienced, RICS-certified surveyor to carry out the survey and report on your behalf.
Finding a Surveyor
Compare My Move's surveying comparison form connects customers with up to 6 surveyors in your local area. You can compare quotes and save on your total surveying costs.
All surveyors on our network have passed our verification process. Those offering Home Surveys and Valuation Reports must be registered with RICS. Firms specialising in Snagging Surveys can be regulated by the RPSA or RICS.
Need a Removal Company?
Our integrated surveying and removal comparison form connects customers with surveyors and removal companies in a few extra steps. You can compare quotes from up to 6 surveyors and removal companies and save on your total costs.
*Based on the average service costs for Compare My Move users. See how our data works.
What Does the Report Look Like?
The report will be similar to the Level 3 Building Survey and will include the traffic light system. This system works by categorising issues found during the survey by their level of severity, either green, amber or red.
In the report, you’ll see a run-down of all the areas of the building that have been inspected. Your surveyor will comment on the condition of these elements. They'll also give advice on any issues and how you may go about remedying them.
The report may give an idea of costs for some of the repairs. Many costs will be difficult to assess or may need further investigation. The report will tell you if you should have any further investigations done.
How Much Does a Listed Building Survey Cost?
A Listed Building Survey will cost £800 for a property valued at the average UK price. This is the cost of a Building Survey but expect to pay more as this requires further specialist attention.
Costs will vary and depend on the value, size, location, age, condition and complexity of the building in question.
To learn more, read house survey costs.
What Does the Buyer Need to Do?
Prior to the survey, you should talk to the seller to ensure all the necessary areas are clear and easy to reach. It’s also important for everyone to organise a time for the survey that's convenient for the owner.
When you’re viewing the property, note down anything you spot that’s of particular concern. You can then communicate this to the surveyor. They can pay particular attention to these areas and give a more detailed report on the key issues.
There is little that the buyer will need to do for the survey once it has been arranged. Throughout the process you should maintain a communication with the seller and the surveyor.
Finding a Surveyor
Compare My Move's surveying comparison form connects customers with up to 6 surveyors. You can compare quotes and save up to 70% on your surveying costs.
All surveyors on our network have passed our verification process. This includes having the correct regulation in place. Those offering Home Surveys and Valuation Reports must be registered with RICS. Firms specialising in Party Wall and Snagging Surveys can be regulated by either the RPSA or RICS.
Need a Removal Company?
Our integrated surveying and removal comparison form connects customers with surveyors and removal companies in a few extra steps. You can compare quotes from up to 6 surveyors and up to 6 removal companies and save up to 70% on your total costs.
Learn More About Surveying
This has been part of our guide to surveying. In our next article, we look at the role of a surveyor. To learn more read What Does a Surveyor Do and Look For?
