Valuation vs. Surveys

🔍 Survey Booked & Completed - Great News!

✅ What this milestone means

A surveyor has visited the property and produced a report - but which kind? Knowing the difference could save you a fortune.

🏦 Mortgage valuation (what the lender cares about)

• Purpose: Confirm the property is worth the loan amount - nothing more.

• Duration: Often 10–15 minutes on-site or even desktop-only.

• Depth: Doesn’t lift carpets, test electrics or check the roof space.

• Liability: For the lender, not for you; if problems surface later, you can’t claim.

🛠️ Property survey (what you should care about)

• RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Report – Ideal for most modern homes; highlights visible defects (damp, roof tiles, wiring age) with traffic-light ratings.

• RICS Level 3 Building Survey – Full structural deep-dive for older, altered or quirky properties; the surveyor checks loft, outbuildings, then issues a long narrative report.

• New-build snagging survey – Lists cosmetic and minor construction issues so the developer fixes them before you move in.

🔑 Why buyers should still order a survey

⛑️ Protects you – uncovers hidden faults a valuation will miss (subsidence, asbestos, timber rot).

💸 Negotiation power – serious defects can justify negotiations should they be needed.

📅 Planning aid – lets you budget future works instead of being blindsided after completion.

Rule of thumb: If the property is pre-1990, extended, listed or just “feels” tired, commission at least a Level 2 survey. The fee is tiny compared with a damp course or new roof later, and gives you piece of mind.

📲 Book straight through Open Moove

1. Type “Book a survey” in your Moove Room.

2. MeredithAI will organise a quote for you.

3. Expect our partners to get in touch to discuss booking in.

📌 Your action list right now

1. Read the report - focus on items flagged “urgent” or “serious.”

2. Ask questions - your Mooving Team and MeredithAI are in hand in the Mooving Room.

3. Get quotes - for any major issues, obtain contractor estimates before moving forward.

⏭️ Coming up next

• Your solicitor may raise follow-up enquiries based on the survey.

• Your lender issues the formal Mortgage Offer once the valuation (separate from your survey) is approved.

💡 Pro tip: A survey costs a few hundred pounds; missing damp or structural movement can cost tens of thousands. Spend the small money now to save the big money later - and store the report in your Moove Vault for future peace of mind.

Questions about which survey to choose or how to interpret the findings? Ping MeredithAI in your Moove Room - online 24 / 7 to keep you Mooving.