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NatWest mortgages are available to over 18s. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. The content on this webpage is guidance only and does not constitute advice.
What is a mortgage valuation?
Once you have applied for a mortgage, we will usually arrange for a mortgage valuation for our purposes so that we know that the property you are purchasing or remortgaging will be enough security for the loan you're applying for.
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We will complete a valuation of the property for our lending purposes only. It may not have been a physical inspection of the property. We may use an Automated Valuation Model (AVM), or carry out the valuation on a desktop which would not take into account the actual physical condition of the property. You should satisfy yourself of the property’s value and condition.
What’s the difference between a mortgage valuation and a home survey?
A mortgage valuation checks that the property has been valued correctly, for our benefit.
A home survey is an inspection of the property’s condition to identify any problems and provide suggestions for repairs.
Get a free mortgage valuation
We may be able to offer you a free valuation when you move home and take a mortgage with us. The offer is only available on selected mortgages marked with 'Free mortgage valuation'. Exclusions apply. You will not receive a copy of the valuation report. Start an AIP.
How much does a mortgage valuation cost?
Where we charge a fee this is £102 for properties with a value of up to £3m.
How do mortgage valuations work and what’s involved?
A valuation may be carried out by a Valuer who visits the property you’re buying or remortgaging and completes a short report. We may also use a Desktop Valuation where a Valuer will use online data such as recent sales data, Land Registry details as well as local knowledge and experience to make a valuation or an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) which is a computer-generated estimate of value. In both these scenarios the property is not visited. You won't receive a copy of the final report.
When the valuer visits the property
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The valuer may take around 15-30mins to look around the property and conduct the valuation, looking for any damage that might affect its value.
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Once the visit is complete, the valuer will make an evaluation of what the market value of the property is. They’ll look at historical sales of similar property transactions in the area and use their own knowledge of the current market.
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They may also provide information on what the ‘minimum reinstatement value’ is. This is the amount it would cost to rebuild the property from scratch, which can be useful to have when looking for buildings insurance cover during the home buying process.
What happens if the mortgage valuation is lower than the offer?
This is also known as a ‘down valuation’ and can happen when the valuer values the property lower than the agreed price.
This may mean that we will only be prepared to lend based on a percentage of the purchase price or mortgage valuation (Loan to Value), whichever is lower.
If this happens, we will contact you with next steps.
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What happens if the mortgage valuation is higher?
If you do find yourself with a higher mortgage valuation compared to the purchase price (or estimated value) this tends to be because the purchase price is lower than the market value.
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