How we chose
We started from the quantity surveying and home-survey names Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the RICS registers, each firm's own website and the platforms checked [2] [8]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Ten firms met all three; one more was researched but kept out over a registration claim the register could not match. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated September 2026.
How to hire
Start by matching the professional to your job, because this table mixes several trades under one heading. Buying an existing home calls for a home surveyor and one of the three RICS survey tiers below [1]. If you are building, extending or converting, you want a quantity surveyor to plan and control costs, a different appointment entirely [5]. If your home is newly built, you want a snagging inspection that lists every defect for the builder to fix [4]. Say which of the three you need in your first enquiry.
Know which survey tier fits your property. RICS sets three levels under the home survey standard it introduced in March 2021 [1]. The first tier suits conventional newer homes in good condition, noting defects without advising on repairs. The middle tier suits standard homes in reasonable condition, adding repair advice, with an optional valuation and reinstatement figure. The full building survey suits older, larger, altered or run-down homes, with detailed analysis, repair options and timescales [1]. Ask the surveyor which tier fits your property before you accept a quote.
Check the name before you book. Search the surveyor on the RICS Find a Member database and the firm on the RICS firm search, matching the name that comes back to the business you are hiring [2]. A logo on a website proves nothing on its own. Match limited companies on the Companies House register, showing whether each is active [8]. If a claimed registration cannot be found, ask why before you go further.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same scope so you compare like with like. Each quote should name the service tier, what is inspected and excluded, the report turnaround, the fee, whether VAT is added, and payment stages [6]. For cost appointments, agree whether the fee is fixed, a percentage of the build cost, or time-charged, and which stages it covers [5]. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain.
Give the surveyor what they need on the day. Clear access to the loft hatch, meters, stopcock and any outbuildings, plus anything already worrying you, such as a crack or a damp patch. Surveyors inspect visually and do not lift secured panels or test services beyond normal operation, so say in advance if you want extras such as thermal imaging or drone shots [1] [4]. For cost work, share plans, drawings and any contractor quotes so the cost plan rests on your scheme.
End with the right paperwork in hand. A home survey should arrive as a written report with traffic-light condition ratings for each element, repair advice at the middle tier and above, and a valuation and reinstatement figure where you ordered one [1]. A snagging inspection should leave a dated photographic report for the builder [4]. A quantity surveyor should leave a written cost plan and a settled final account [5]. If a report raises urgent defects, get written repair quotes before you commit, with Citizens Advice setting out your options if a trader lets you down [9].
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough Telford ranges for home surveys run like this: a level one report from around £300 to £500, a level two homebuyer survey between £450 and £750, and a full level three building survey from £700 to over £1,500 [3]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices [3] [7]. Use them to sense-check what you are offered.
Snagging inspections are simpler to price because most firms publish fixed menus. National guides put a standard snagging survey from around £320, rising with property size toward £500 and above for large houses [4]. Thermal imaging, drone shots and a re-inspection after the builder returns all add to the bill [4]. In this round, JC Property Snagging publishes fixed prices by property size on its directory profile, the clearest menu in the table.
Quantity surveying is priced differently again. Full cost-management appointments are commonly charged as a percentage of the build cost, often in the low single digits, while smaller briefs suit fixed fees or time-charged day rates [5]. Lender-ordered cost reviews on development schemes run into the low thousands, a different service from a homeowner's extension budget [5]. Whatever the basis, the percentage means nothing without the scope beside it.
Size, age and complexity move every price: bigger and older homes take longer to inspect and non-standard construction needs closer reading [3]. Ask whether VAT is included or added, since the standard rate is a fifth on top and some menus state prices either way [6]. Get the scope, the fee, the VAT position and the report date in writing before work starts.
Red flags
Quotes a survey without asking the property's age, size, construction type or reason for the report.
Cannot give a surveyor or firm name you can find yourself on the RICS member or firm search [2].
Presents a lender's mortgage valuation as a survey when you asked for a condition report [3].
Offers cost advice on building work with no written scope saying which stages the fee covers [5].
Asks for full payment in cash before the inspection, with no written quote or terms.
Finishes the job with a verbal verdict and no written, dated report [1].
Promises a snagging list the builder will accept without inspecting every room and photographing each defect [4].
Will not put the scope, fee, VAT position and report date in writing before you agree anything [6].
The bottom line
For most Telford homebuyers, start with Rosewood Surveyors: one RICS-listed firm for the survey, the snagging check and the valuation, with fast turnaround and the round's broadest review base. Ask for the itemised quote through its instant route and confirm which survey tier you are getting.
Match the firm to the job where your need is narrower. Madeleys suits farms and rural property, the Severn Partnership suits measured and mapping commissions, CQS Solutions suits construction cost management, and JC Property Snagging suits a fixed-price check on a new build. Then check the name on the RICS search, agree scope and fee in writing, and read the report before you commit.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.