The Hidden Risks of Cheap Building Surveys

Released On 16th Mar 2026

In most businesses, by careful advertising and product promotion, you can convince someone to purchase a product that they would not normally have bought in the normal course of events. The same is not true for building surveys.  By reaching out to the general population, you cannot persuade people to purchase a home and commission a survey simply by publishing your services.  

Be that as it may, as with most things that we spend money on, you get what you pay for.

When the property market is booming, there are probably not enough surveyors to go around, there is plenty of work and fees increase – the basic laws of supply and demand. However, when the market is depressed and there are fewer instructions to go around, fees can drop dramatically to a point where, they appear to be at a non-profitable level. On attending a recent seminar given by an insurer for surveying services, he said that building surveying was the only profession where every individual was out to cut the throat of another.

Whilst there is a natural human tendency to reduce costs, which of course is a prudent action all of us undertake every day, if you are paying a fee for your building survey that is barely covering the costs of the firm commissioned to do the work, then there are generally two factors at play.

Firstly, surveyors are being asked to do two, if not three, surveys per day to bring in the fees, which workload is completely unsustainable in producing good quality, thought-out and reasoned reports, or secondly, surveyors are being employed on low salaries who have barely six months post-graduation experience or are at the end of their careers looking for a little pin money, with no real ambition left.  

‘Caveat emptor’ applies as much in respect of surveying fees as anything else.  If you choose the cheapest survey quote, then you are likely to receive a survey that is lacking in a number of respects.

The proof of the pudding is in the type of report produced.  Always ask for a sample survey and contrast what you are paying for with what you are getting.  It will usually be found that a higher fee produces a better quality report, more fit for purpose.  The purchase of a home is the biggest financial investment any of us can make.  It would seem to be imprudent to select a surveyor based solely on the lowest fee.

Here at James Ross & Co we have over 30 years of experience and we only ever do one survey a day, which allows enough time for a comprehensive inspection of the property. We also recommend going for a full building survey report in which you will get far greater level of detail, up to 80 photos within report. Alongside a full timeline of suggested fixes, improvements and repairs.