The house survey: what the engineer's report covers and what it costs

What a house survey is

A pre-purchase survey is a visual inspection of the home by a professional, with a written report. The surveyor walks through every room, looks at the roof from the ground or a ladder, opens the attic hatch, and checks outside. A standard report covers:

• the roof, gutters and chimneys
• the walls, inside and out, and any cracks
• damp: rising damp, leaks, condensation, and the readings from a damp meter
• the windows and doors
• the floors, and whether they are level and solid
• the heating system and the boiler, as far as they can be seen
• the wiring and the plumbing, as far as they can be seen without opening anything
• the drains, where there is a manhole to lift
• extensions, and whether they look like they had planning permission and a certificate of compliance
• the boundaries, as far as they can be seen against the map

The report says what is wrong, how serious it is, and what to do next. It does not open up walls or floors, and it does not test the wiring or the heating. If something needs a closer look, the report says so, and you can ask a specialist.

When you need one

Book the survey straight after sale agreed, before the contracts arrive from the seller's solicitor. Sale agreed is not binding, so this is the window where you can still go back on the price or walk away with your booking deposit.

Every second-hand home needs one. It does not matter how new it looks: a 10-year-old home can have a bad roof, and a renovated one can hide damp. For a new build straight from a builder, the check is a snag list instead, done before you close.

Two things people confuse with a survey:

• The lender's valuation (about €185) is a short visit to confirm the home is worth the loan. It tells you nothing about the condition.
• The BER is an energy rating, done by a BER assessor. It says how much the home costs to heat, not whether the roof leaks.

Allow 1 to 2 weeks from booking to the report. In a busy season it can be longer, so ring the day you go sale agreed.

What it costs

A standard pre-purchase survey on a house or apartment costs €300 to €600 plus VAT at 23%. The price depends on the size and age of the home, and on where it is. Some surveyors charge more for a large detached house or one far from their base.

A full structural survey is a different thing. It is for an older home, one with an extension, visible cracks, or a pyrite or mica risk, and it costs €1,500 to €3,000 plus VAT. The structural survey page explains when the deeper look is worth it.

The survey is money spent whether or not you go ahead with the home. That feels hard when you pull out, but a €450 survey that finds a roof needing €20,000 of work has done its job. Most people who buy a second-hand home pay for one survey. Some pay for two, when the first sale falls through.

The table below gives the typical ranges from our costs config. Get a written quote before you book.

How to choose

Use a chartered building surveyor (on the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland's register) or a chartered engineer (on Engineers Ireland's register). Both are trained and insured for this work. A general builder or a friend who knows houses is not a survey, and a lender or solicitor will not treat it as one.

Ask for a sample report before you book. A good report has photographs, plain descriptions of each problem, a rating for how urgent it is, and a rough idea of what the fix involves. A report that is all standard wording with no photographs tells you little.

Ask whether the surveyor will talk you through the report by phone. Most do, and it is where you learn what matters.

If the home is in an area with known pyrite or mica problems, ask the surveyor what they look for and whether a separate test of the blockwork is needed. That test is extra, and the seller must agree to it.

What to do with the report

Read the whole report, not just the summary. Then sort what it found into three piles:

1. Normal wear. Every home of that age has it. Budget for it and move on.
2. Work that costs real money. A roof, a boiler, rewiring, damp. Get a quote from a tradesperson for each, then decide. You can ask the seller to drop the price by that amount, to do the work before closing, or you can walk away.
3. Things that need another look. A crack the surveyor wants an engineer to assess, a drain they could not see, an extension with no paperwork. Follow up before you sign, not after.

Send the report to your solicitor. They will raise the extension, the boundary and the planning points with the seller's solicitor as part of their questions on the title.

If you go back on the price, do it through the agent, in writing, with the relevant page of the report attached. Sellers expect it, and most negotiate.