Glossary of Survey Terms

Property surveys come with their own vocabulary, and the jargon can be confusing when you are trying to make an informed decision. This glossary explains the terms you are most likely to meet when instructing a survey or valuation from Canterbury Surveyors.

Common survey terms

• RICS Home Survey Level 1, 2 and 3 – the three standard levels of home survey, from a concise condition report to an in-depth building survey.
• HomeBuyer Report – the popular Level 2 survey suited to conventional, reasonably modern homes.
• Building Survey – the detailed Level 3 survey for older, larger, altered or unusual properties.
• Schedule of Condition – a factual record of a property’s condition at a point in time, used for leases and party wall matters.
• Reinstatement Cost Assessment – the cost of rebuilding a property, used to set buildings insurance.
• Red Book valuation – a valuation carried out to the RICS Valuation – Global Standards.
• Dilapidations – breaches of a tenant’s repairing obligations under a lease.
• Damp-proof course (DPC) – a barrier built into walls to stop rising damp.
• Subsidence – downward movement of the ground beneath a building’s foundations.
• Party wall award – the document that governs notifiable works to a shared wall under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

If a term you have come across is not listed here, contact us and one of our chartered surveyors will be happy to explain it.