What is the difference between a Full Structural Survey and a RICS Home Buyer’s Report?

The site visit itself is very similar for each report; but the report itself is very different. RICS Homebuyer’s Reports tend to be cheaper and have a pre-formatted form, which doesn’t allow you to add further information in or photographs. The Full Building Survey is a much more detailed and in-depth and usually requires more investigation. The latter will also provide advice on structural defects and maintenance options for each of the issues uncovered throughout the visit. For these reasons, RICS ranks the quality standard of a Full Building Survey higher (level 3) than a Homebuyer’s report (level 2).