The risk section should help a client find the matters that could affect the building, grounds or people. It should not become a second, slightly different version of the detailed report.
When Level 2 drafting is outsourced, the writer can organise the risks identified by the inspecting surveyor, explain them in clear language and cross-reference the relevant element. The surveyor must decide what constitutes a risk, check that its significance is expressed accurately and approve the completed report.
Use the published RICS framework
Section 4.5 of the published RICS Home Survey Standard says that matters known to present a safety risk to occupants must be described in the report. It recommends concise listing in a separate section with appropriate cross-references to the detailed findings. For a Level 2 report, the risk is identified and its nature is explained.
The official RICS Home Survey Level 2 report template separates risks to the building, grounds and people, with a further category for other risks or hazards. Its introductory wording explains that these matters may already have been reported and condition-rated against more than one part of the property.
This supports a practical production rule: the risk section gathers and explains the surveyor’s identified risks. It does not create new findings that cannot be traced to the inspection record and detailed report.
Start with a settled element paragraph
Complete the relevant element section before drafting its risk entry. The detailed paragraph should establish what was observed, any limitation, the surveyor’s assessment, the implication and the intended advice. The risk section can then summarise the nature of the risk and direct the client back to that evidence.
If the element paragraph is still provisional, place the risk entry on hold. A writer should not decide from a photograph alone that a crack threatens the building, that a low barrier creates an unacceptable safety risk or that vegetation threatens a retaining wall. Those are professional assessments for the inspecting surveyor.
Give the writer a risk register
| Field | What the surveyor supplies | How it helps the draft |
|---|---|---|
| Risk category | Building, grounds, people or other, following the practice’s report format. | Places the item in the correct section. |
| Source element | The element reference and location of the detailed finding. | Creates a clear cross-reference and audit trail. |
| Observed basis | The defect, condition or other fact that supports the assessment. | Stops the entry becoming an unsupported warning. |
| Nature of risk | What could be affected and the surveyor’s explanation of how. | Gives the client useful context rather than a label alone. |
| Action and timing | The approved recommendation and when it should be followed. | Keeps the risk consistent with the main advice. |
| Connected sections | Condition rating, overall opinion, legal enquiry or further investigation, where relevant. | Reduces conflicting priorities elsewhere in the report. |
This is a suggested production record rather than an RICS-prescribed form. The surveyor should adapt it to the property, the reporting template and the agreed service.
Distinguish the risk from the defect
The defect is the observed or otherwise established problem. The risk is the possible consequence for the building, grounds or people. The recommendation is the action the surveyor advises. Keeping those parts distinct makes the risk wording easier to review.
For example, loose masonry is the defect; falling material may present a risk to people or property below; making the area safe and arranging competent repair are actions. The writer can structure those supplied points, but must not infer the likelihood, severity or required response beyond the surveyor’s instruction.
Use cross-references instead of duplicating paragraphs
Copying the whole element paragraph into the risk section makes the report longer and creates two places that must remain identical after every amendment. A concise entry should identify the risk, explain its nature at the appropriate Level 2 depth and direct the client to the element section for the full finding and advice.
Cross-references should be specific enough to help the client. “See report” adds little. Use the element reference or named section used by the template, and check it again after paragraphs have been moved or renumbered.
One defect may create more than one risk
A single finding may affect the building and people in different ways. An unstable external element could threaten the fabric and create a safety concern below. If the surveyor wants both categories recorded, each entry should state its own consequence without repeating the same description and recommendation word for word.
The opposite problem also occurs: several element defects may contribute to one broader risk. In that case, the surveyor should decide whether a combined entry gives the client a clearer explanation, with cross-references to every relevant section.
Do not use the risk section to increase urgency
A risk entry must agree with the surveyor’s condition rating, implications and recommended timing. If the detailed section presents routine repair while the risk section warns of imminent failure, the report contains a material contradiction.
The writer should flag the inconsistency rather than selecting the stronger wording. Record the decision on the drafting query log and update all affected sections after the inspecting surveyor responds.
Link uncertainty to the right action
Where a possible risk depends on a concealed condition or unresolved defect, the report should not present the hidden outcome as established. The surveyor may decide to explain the identifiable risk and recommend a focused investigation. Our guide to justifiable further investigations covers the reason, scope, timing and broad competence needed for that referral.
A legal or documentary issue should also remain in its proper section. The risk summary can cross-reference connected advice where appropriate, but it should not turn a legal uncertainty into a technical conclusion.
Reconcile the risk section before approval
During the final review, the inspecting surveyor should trace every risk entry to the detailed report and ask:
- Is the risk supported by the inspection record and the settled element paragraph?
- Is it in the correct category for this report format?
- Does the explanation distinguish the risk from the defect and the recommended action?
- Does the wording avoid overstating an uncertain or concealed condition?
- Do the condition rating, timing and overall opinion give the same priority?
- Are cross-references accurate and useful?
Late amendments should trigger another risk check. If the surveyor changes a rating, removes a recommendation or receives new evidence, the risk entry and overall opinion may also need revision.
Keep risk assessment with the surveyor
The Survey Edit provides outsourced RICS Level 2 report drafting support from the surveyor’s notes, photographs, template and instructions. We can organise the supplied risks, write concise explanations, add accurate cross-references and flag inconsistencies for clarification.
The inspecting surveyor identifies and assesses the risks, determines the advice, reviews and amends the draft, approves the final wording and issues the report. To discuss a drafting workflow for your practice, send The Survey Edit an enquiry.
You inspect. We write.