Surveys
Mortgage valuation versus survey
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026
The brief answer
A valuation is for the lender: it checks the property is worth enough to lend against. A survey is for you: it checks the property's condition. A valuation is not a substitute for a survey.
In plain English
The lender instructs a valuer, sometimes with a brief visit and sometimes from a desk-based assessment. The result tells the lender whether to lend the amount requested.
A survey is commissioned by you, and the surveyor works for you. It looks at condition, defects and repairs.
Some surveyors can provide a valuation within the survey, but you should always be clear which report you are getting.
Why it matters
Many buyers assume the valuation checked the house. It usually did not, at least not in the way a survey does.
What to do next
- 1Ask your adviser when the valuation is booked.
- 2Decide separately whether to commission a survey.
Checklist
- I know the valuation is for the lender
- I have decided about a survey
Official and independent sources
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Taran Property Hub provides educational information, practical explanations, administrative support and property-purchase guidance. We do not provide regulated mortgage advice, legal advice, conveyancing, surveying or lending. Mortgage advice must come from an appropriately authorised mortgage adviser; legal advice from a qualified solicitor or conveyancer.