Does the bank's valuation check the condition of the house?

No, and assuming it does is a common and expensive mistake. The valuer is confirming the property is worth roughly what you are paying so the bank's security is sound. It will not tell you the roof is going.

Is a survey worth it on a house that looks fine?

Yes. A structural survey costs several hundred euro against a purchase of several hundred thousand, and it is the only part of the process where somebody is looking for defects on your behalf rather than on the bank's.

What does a solicitor actually check?

The paper rather than the building: title, planning permission and compliance with it, boundaries, rights of way, certificates for any extension, whether the septic tank is registered, and whether anything is charged against the property.

When should a snag list be done?

Before closing on a new build, never after. Once the money has moved your leverage over the builder is gone, and a snag list is a defects list you need somebody to act on.

The survey, the solicitor and the snag list

What a survey does and does not cover, what a solicitor is actually checking, and why a snag list on a new build is a different job.

Three people look at a house between sale agreed and closing and they are looking for entirely different things. Confusing them is how somebody ends up owning a problem nobody was asked to find.

The valuation is for the bank

Your lender sends a valuer to confirm the house is worth roughly what you are paying, so that its security is sound. It takes a short time, it is not a survey, and it will not tell you the roof is going. Buyers regularly assume the bank has checked the building. The bank has checked its own exposure.

The survey is for you

A structural survey is the one that looks for movement, damp, roof condition and drainage. It costs several hundred euro and is the cheapest money in the whole transaction.
It is normally non invasive, so anything behind a wall or under a floor is inferred rather than seen. A surveyor who recommends opening something up is telling you something.
Findings are leverage. A survey that turns up a real defect is a reason to renegotiate before contracts, and no reason at all afterwards.

The solicitor is checking the paper, not the house

Title, planning permission and compliance with it, boundaries, rights of way, whether the extension has a certificate, whether the septic tank is registered, and whether anything is charged against the property. A solicitor who raises a lot of queries is doing the job. The queries are where most delays come from and almost all of them are the seller's side answering slowly.

Snagging is only for a new build

A snag list is a defects list against the builder before you take handover, and it is a different exercise to a survey: nobody is looking for subsidence in a house finished last month, they are looking for doors that do not close, radiators that do not balance, and paint over hinges. Do it before closing, not after, because leverage disappears the moment the money moves.

Questions people ask

Does the bank's valuation check the condition of the house?: No, and assuming it does is a common and expensive mistake. The valuer is confirming the property is worth roughly what you are paying so the bank's security is sound. It will not tell you the roof is going.
Is a survey worth it on a house that looks fine?: Yes. A structural survey costs several hundred euro against a purchase of several hundred thousand, and it is the only part of the process where somebody is looking for defects on your behalf rather than on the bank's.
What does a solicitor actually check?: The paper rather than the building: title, planning permission and compliance with it, boundaries, rights of way, certificates for any extension, whether the septic tank is registered, and whether anything is charged against the property.
When should a snag list be done?: Before closing on a new build, never after. Once the money has moved your leverage over the builder is gone, and a snag list is a defects list you need somebody to act on.

Figures checked 8 August 2026.