RICS Level 2 Survey in Andover

A RICS Level 2 Survey is built for a conventional house or flat in reasonable condition, often under 100 years old. Our surveyors inspect all accessible parts of the property, then grade findings with the RICS traffic-light system so you can see what needs attention first. In Andover, that usually means looking at roof coverings, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors and the visible parts of the services without lifting carpets or moving furniture.

The report is visual. That matters. We do not carry out destructive opening-up, we do not test every service, and we do not pull back finishes to inspect hidden defects. On a terraced house in SP10, that can still reveal a lot, especially where shared walls, rainwater goods and older pipework are part of the risk picture.

If the property is older, heavily altered, listed, or built with unusual methods, a Level 3 survey is usually the better fit. That applies to many homes around Andover town centre, where 18th-century sash windows, traditional brickwork and conservation-area controls can make repairs more sensitive. A Level 2 report is still useful on older stock, but only where the building is conventional and the condition is broadly straightforward.

• Roofs, chimneys and leadwork
• Walls, pointing and render
• Ceilings, floors and staircases
• Windows, doors and visible services

Andover is not one housing type in one neat pattern. Around the centre you find older brick stock, some of it with conservation-area controls and Grade II listed buildings, while East Anton and Picket Twenty bring much newer estate housing into the mix. That split changes the survey approach. A 1930s semi on the edge of SP10 needs a different read from a modern house off one of the newer roads.

Ground conditions matter here too. The district’s chalk geology can dissolve and create irregular ground, while clay-rich layers can shrink and swell as moisture changes. That is why we are alert to stepped cracking, sloping floors and repairs that look cosmetic but sit on top of movement. Andover is inland, so coastal erosion is not a local issue, but flood risk is, especially from groundwater and surface water.

The flood story around the town reaches beyond the centre. Appleshaw, Hatherden, Penton Mewsey, Redenham, Weyhill Bottom, Kimpton, Amport and Monxton have all featured in local groundwater discussions, while historic sewer overloads have been logged in places such as Anna Valley, Goodworth Clatford and Enham Alamein. As of October 2025, 18 flood defences in the Test Valley area were below the required standard, with 11 classified as high consequence, so a surveyor should always read the site in context rather than treating a wet patch as a one-off.

Conservation rules matter as well. Test Valley Borough Council gives specific advice on conservation areas, listed buildings, archaeology and heritage, and that is relevant where alterations may have been restricted or past repairs need specialist methods. A Level 2 survey can still help on many conventional homes in the town, but for listed or heavily altered buildings in and around Andover, a Level 3 survey is usually the safer instruction.