We survey Coventry's terraced streets, post-war semis, and modern estates with local RICS expertise
When you're buying a home in Coventry, a RICS Level 2 Homebuyer Survey gives you a professional assessment of the property's condition before you commit. We know Coventry's housing market inside out - terraced houses account for 51% of all sales, most built between the Edwardian era and the 1960s. Our RICS surveyors have inspected hundreds of these properties, from the red brick terraces of Earlsdon to the post-war rebuilds in Tile Hill and Canley. We use a traffic-light rating system to grade every visible element of your property, flagging anything that needs urgent attention or further investigation.
£226,000
Average House Price
51%
Terraced Homes Sold
Most common property type
From £385
Level 2 Survey Cost
Coventry pricing
18
Conservation Areas
Including Spon End and Chapelfields
Coventry was the most heavily bombed city outside London during the Second World War, and the rebuilding programme reshaped its housing stock dramatically. Our surveyors know which properties need which survey type. While the most complex post-war homes - precast concrete panels and steel-frame systems - require a Level 3 survey, the majority of Coventry properties sit squarely in Level 2 territory. We regularly inspect standard brick-built terraces in Earlsdon, interwar semis across Stoke and Radford, and newer estates in Walsgrave and Eastern Green. These homes share common risks: aging roof coverings, deteriorating pointing on red brick walls, and damp issues in properties built before cavity wall construction became standard practice.
Our RICS Level 2 Survey gives you a thorough visual inspection of every accessible part of the property. Your surveyor will examine all building elements - walls, ceilings, roof structure, guttering, windows, doors, and drainage - using a condition rating system that grades each element from 1 (no repair needed) to 3 (serious defect requiring urgent action). We visually appraise services including gas, electricity, water, and heating, with recommendations for specialist testing where concerns arise. The report also covers legal matters such as planning permissions, building control issues, and boundary disputes that your conveyancer should investigate.
Coventry City Council maintains 18 conservation areas across the city, from the medieval quarter around Spon End to the Arts and Crafts neighbourhood of Chapelfields. Properties within these areas face restrictions on external alterations, which our Level 2 survey will flag. The city also has approximately 400 listed buildings - including 21 at Grade I - and buying a listed property means any repair or alteration work requires listed building consent. Your survey report will note if the property falls within a conservation area or carries listed status, helping your solicitor identify constraints before exchange of contracts.
Source: ONS Census 2021. Coventry has a notably higher proportion of terraced housing than the national average.
Coventry lost 60,000 buildings during the Blitz of November 1940 and the subsequent raids in April 1941. The post-war reconstruction programme used non-standard building methods on a large scale, including around 1,500 BISF steel-frame houses and extensive Wimpey No-Fines concrete construction across the Canley and Tile Hill estates. The Level 2 format is not designed for non-traditional construction - if your property uses precast concrete panels, steel framing, or another system-built method, you should book a Level 3 survey instead. Not sure about the construction type? Our team can advise after you enter the property details during the quote process.
| Survey Type | Coventry | National Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| RICS Level 2 (1-3 bed) | From £385 | From £395 | -£10 |
| RICS Level 2 (4-5 bed) | From £520 | From £545 | -£25 |
| RICS Level 3 (comparison) | From £600 | From £619 | -£19 |
RICS Level 2 (1-3 bed)
Coventry
From £385
National Avg
From £395
Difference
-£10
RICS Level 2 (4-5 bed)
Coventry
From £520
National Avg
From £545
Difference
-£25
RICS Level 3 (comparison)
Coventry
From £600
National Avg
From £619
Difference
-£19
Prices based on standard brick-built properties. Coventry sits slightly below the national average, reflecting West Midlands market rates.
Our RICS surveyors in Coventry have hands-on experience with the city's property types. They can distinguish between a standard brick-built terrace that suits a Level 2 and a system-built post-war home that needs a Level 3. They know the common issues affecting Coventry properties - from the perished pointing on Edwardian terraces in Earlsdon to the flat roof failures on 1960s maisonettes in Willenhall. Based locally, they can typically inspect within days of your booking.
Enter the property address, type, approximate age, and number of bedrooms into our online form. You'll receive a price straight away. If the property is suitable for a Level 2 survey, you can book and pay online. We contact the seller or their estate agent within 24 hours to arrange access for the inspection.
Our local RICS surveyor visits the property and carries out a visual inspection of all accessible areas. For a typical Coventry terraced or semi-detached house, the visit takes 2 to 4 hours. Your surveyor checks the roof, walls, floors, services, and external areas, grading each element using the condition rating system. They will also note any issues that require specialist investigation.
We deliver your written report within 2 to 6 working days. It includes condition ratings for every inspected element, highlights urgent repairs, identifies future maintenance needs, and flags legal matters for your conveyancer. Our bookings team is available to talk through the findings and help arrange any follow-up services you might need, such as a specialist damp or electrical inspection.
Coventry has two universities - Coventry University in the city centre and the University of Warwick to the south - creating a substantial student rental market. Properties in areas like Stoke, Gosford Street, and Radford have often been used as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Former student lets may have endured heavier wear and tear than owner-occupied homes, with issues such as deferred maintenance, amateur repairs, and unauthorised internal alterations. Your Level 2 report will flag visible signs of these problems. Where load-bearing walls have been removed or significant structural changes made during conversion, the surveyor may recommend upgrading to a Level 3 for a more detailed assessment.
Coventry's housing tells the story of two distinct eras. The surviving pre-war stock - Edwardian terraces along the Foleshill Road corridor, workers' cottages in Hillfields, and the larger interwar semis of Earlsdon, Stoke, and Cheylesmore - is predominantly red brick with solid or early cavity wall construction. These homes share characteristics with properties across the West Midlands: slate or tile roofs, timber suspended ground floors, and original single-glazed sash windows where they haven't been replaced. Age-related issues are predictable: failed pointing allowing moisture ingress, deteriorated lead flashings, and timber decay in exposed roof timbers. The interwar estates, particularly the 1930s semis in Green Lane and Binley, tend to be structurally sound but often have original plumbing and electrical installations that are well past their expected lifespan.
The post-Blitz rebuilding, directed by city architect Donald Gibson from the 1940s, produced a contrasting layer of housing. Much of this falls into non-traditional construction territory and is better suited to a Level 3 survey, but a significant number of conventional brick-built council houses and estates were also constructed during this period. Areas like Tile Hill, Canley, and Willenhall contain a mixture of both types, sometimes on the same street. Our RICS Level 2 Survey is well suited to the standard brick-built homes in these estates - those with recognisable cavity walls, pitched roofs, and conventional foundations. Your surveyor's report helps you understand the property's current condition and prioritise the maintenance work needed to keep it in good order, giving you a solid foundation for negotiations with the seller.
Explore our full range of property services available in Coventry
From £600
Full structural survey for Coventry's non-traditional construction homes, older period properties, and complex buildings
From £500
Detailed building survey covering the structural integrity of Coventry properties from Victorian terraces to modern estates
From £69
Energy Performance Certificate for Coventry homes - required for sales and lettings across the city
From £300
RICS valuation for Help-to-Buy equity loan repayments on Coventry properties
At £385, our Level 2 survey represents less than 0.2% of Coventry's average house price. That small outlay buys you a professional assessment of the property's condition before you are legally committed to the purchase. Coventry's terraced and semi-detached homes, many built between 1900 and 1960, develop predictable problems as they age. Re-roofing a typical 3-bed Coventry terrace costs £5,000 to £8,000. Treating rising damp in solid-walled properties runs £3,000 to £6,000 depending on the number of affected rooms. Rewiring a 1930s interwar semi - a common recommendation - sits between £3,500 and £5,500. A single finding from the survey can justify a price reduction that far exceeds the survey fee, or warn you away from a property with hidden costs you hadn't budgeted for.
Your mortgage lender's valuation only confirms the property is worth the loan amount. It does not assess the building's physical condition, check for damp, or identify future maintenance liabilities. Coventry's affordability compared to London and the South East makes it attractive to first-time buyers, but a lower purchase price does not mean a lower repair bill if problems go undetected. Our Level 2 survey gives you the facts you need to negotiate, budget, and buy with confidence.
Level 2 surveys in Coventry start from around £385 for a standard 1 to 3 bedroom property. Larger homes with 4 or 5 bedrooms typically cost from £520 upwards, depending on the property's value and complexity. Coventry pricing sits slightly below the national average of £395, reflecting the West Midlands property market. The cost is influenced by the number of bedrooms, the property value, and the age of the building - older properties with more elements to inspect may attract a slightly higher fee.
It depends on the construction type. Standard brick-built homes from the post-war era - the conventional semis and terraces built across Tile Hill, Willenhall, and Binley - are well suited to a Level 2 survey. Non-traditional construction homes are a different matter. Coventry has a higher-than-average stock of system-built housing, including BISF steel-frame houses and Wimpey No-Fines concrete properties dating from the late 1940s onwards. These require a Level 3 survey because the construction method creates specific structural risks that go beyond visual inspection. If you are unsure which type your property is, our team can advise during the quoting process.
For a typical Coventry terraced or semi-detached house, the on-site inspection takes 2 to 4 hours. Larger properties - detached homes in Finham, Stivichall, or Eastern Green, for example - may take closer to 4 hours. We deliver your written report within 2 to 6 working days. Properties with extensions, loft conversions, or complex layouts will take longer as the surveyor needs to assess each alteration against current building standards. The timeline from booking to receiving your report is typically 10 to 14 days, depending on access arrangements with the seller.
The most frequent findings on Coventry properties include deteriorated pointing on red brick walls, which allows moisture to penetrate the masonry - particularly on exposed elevations of terraced homes in Hillfields, Foleshill, and Stoke. Failed or aging roof coverings are common on interwar semis where original clay tiles have cracked or slipped over decades. Rising damp in solid-walled properties built before effective damp-proof courses were standard is another regular finding. Our surveyors also frequently flag outdated electrical installations, inefficient heating systems, and defective rainwater goods. Each issue receives a condition rating so you can prioritise what needs addressing and when.
Properties near Coventry University and the University of Warwick have often served as student rentals or HMOs. These homes tend to show more wear and tear than owner-occupied properties - stained carpets and scuffed walls are cosmetic, but deferred maintenance on roofs, guttering, and heating systems can be costly. Your survey will identify these deferred repairs and rate their severity. Where structural changes have been made during HMO conversion - removed walls, added bathrooms, subdivided rooms - the surveyor may recommend a Level 3 for a more thorough investigation of those alterations.
Your surveyor will look for physical evidence of past flooding or water ingress during the visual inspection - high water marks on lower walls, warped floorboards, tide marks on brickwork, and moisture damage to skirting boards. Properties along the River Sherbourne corridor through Spon End and the city centre may be at elevated surface water flood risk, which the surveyor will note. The report does not include a formal flood risk assessment, but it will recommend obtaining an Environment Agency flood risk report through your conveyancer if the property lies in an area with historical flooding. Coventry experienced significant surface water flooding in 2007, and properties in low-lying areas warrant extra scrutiny.
A Level 2 survey is a visual inspection that uses a condition rating system to grade every accessible element of the property from 1 (no repair needed) to 3 (serious defect requiring urgent action). It covers standard properties in reasonable condition and is suited to most conventional brick-built homes in Coventry. A Level 3 survey goes deeper - the surveyor opens up areas where safe to do so, traces defects to their underlying cause, and produces a detailed structural narrative of the building. For Coventry's non-traditional construction homes, listed buildings, or properties with complex alteration histories, Level 3 provides the additional depth that a Level 2 cannot.
Yes, and many Coventry buyers do exactly that. If the survey identifies defects rated at condition 2 or 3, you have documented evidence to renegotiate the purchase price or request that the seller carries out repairs before completion. Common negotiation items in Coventry include the cost of replacing aging roof coverings, remedying damp problems in older terraces, and upgrading outdated electrical or plumbing systems. Your surveyor provides repair cost guidance in the report, giving you concrete figures to support your negotiation. On a property priced at £210,000 - the Coventry average for a terraced house - even a modest reduction based on survey findings can more than cover the cost of the survey itself.
Most surveyors take 1-2 days to quote.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
Most surveyors take 1-2 days to quote.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
Homemove is a trading name of HM Haus Group Ltd (Company No. 13873779, registered in England & Wales). Homemove Mortgages Ltd (Company No. 15947693) is an Appointed Representative of TMG Direct Limited, trading as TMG Mortgage Network, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 786245). Homemove Mortgages Ltd is entered on the FCA Register as an Appointed Representative (FRN 1022429). You can check registrations at NewRegister or by calling 0800 111 6768.
