Short answer: A pre-purchase building survey in Ireland typically costs €400 to €800 and covers the building itself: roof, walls, damp, floors, windows, visible services, drains and signs of structural movement. It does not cover flood zones, the radon map, title, planning history, zoning, knotweed records, the BER advisory report or the septic tank register, which all sit in public records. The bank’s valuation is not a survey either. Do the desk research first, then brief the surveyor on what it raised.
A pre-purchase survey costs €400 to €800 and takes two to three hours on site. It is worth every euro. It is also narrower than most buyers think.
What they check
The building. Roof covering and structure from the ground and the attic. Walls for cracking, damp and render condition. Windows, doors, floors. Visible plumbing, the boiler, the fuse board. Drains where accessible. Signs of subsidence, rot, woodworm, condensation. A good surveyor also flags the age-related risks: lead pipes in a pre-1970 house, asbestos in a 1960s to 1980s one, old wiring.
What they do not check
Anything not visible or not on site. Whether the house is in a flood zone or has flooded before. The radon prediction. Whether the title is registered, freehold or leasehold. Planning history, the neighbour’s permissions, zoning. Knotweed records nearby. The BER advisory report. Whether there is a management company. The septic tank’s registration (septic tanks for buyers). All of that is in the public record and none of it is in a standard survey report, which usually says so on page two.
Sequence
Most buyers pay for the survey after going sale agreed and find the desk-research items afterwards, when they are €500 in. Do it the other way. Pull the public record first: it costs little, it takes a minute, and it tells you whether to bid at all. Then brief the surveyor on what the record raised: a recorded flood 90 m away, a retention permission for the extension, a 1968 build year. They look harder where you point.
The report on this site is the desk-research half: thirty-eight checks from public sources, each with the link a surveyor or solicitor can rely on. See a real one on the sample page.
Questions people ask
- Is the bank valuation a survey?
- No. The valuer spends twenty minutes confirming the house is worth the loan. Lenders say so in the valuation report. You still need your own survey.
- Who should do the survey?
- A chartered building surveyor or a chartered engineer. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland keeps a register of members and describes the levels of survey it recognises, from a condition report to a full building survey; most buyers of a second-hand house want the full building survey.
- Can a survey check for mica or pyrite?
- Not for certain. A surveyor can note cracking patterns consistent with either, but proof needs core samples and a laboratory test by an engineer under the relevant standard. In the affected counties and build years the survey should say whether that testing is advised.
- Can I pull out after a bad survey?
- Yes, until contracts are signed. A booking deposit is refundable. A survey that finds serious defects is a reason to renegotiate the price or walk away, and the report is your evidence either way.