What happens if you don’t get a property survey when buying a home? In simple terms, you take on the full risk of any defects, regardless of how serious or expensive they are to put right.

Many problems are difficult to spot during a short viewing. Issues such as rising damp, penetrating damp, hidden timber decay, structural movement, roof defects, poor drainage or unsafe alterations often only become obvious when a surveyor carries out a structured inspection. If you decide not to commission a survey, any of these defects may still be present; they simply remain undiscovered until later.

Once you have completed the purchase, responsibility for these defects falls on you as the new owner. Repair costs can be significant and, in some cases, may affect your ability to use the property in the way you intended. For example, major structural problems, widespread damp or extensive roof repairs can easily run into many thousands of pounds.

A professional survey gives you advance warning of these risks and allows you to decide how to respond. Some buyers choose to renegotiate the price, others ask for works to be completed before exchange, and in a small number of cases buyers decide not to proceed at all. The key benefit is that you are making decisions with clear, independent information rather than guesswork.

If you would like to understand the survey options available, including what each level of inspection involves, you can read our main guide here:

View our property surveys explained guide.

Our typical fees for different survey types are set out in a simple, transparent format here:

View our survey price list.

For answers to common questions about surveys, valuations, defects and timing, you can also refer to our FAQ page:

Read our Property Survey FAQs.

Skipping a survey can appear to save money at the outset, but understanding what happens if you don’t get a property survey usually shows that it is a false economy.