Survey finding
Ground source heat pump: buyer's guide
GSHPs have specific maintenance and income features. This page covers them.
Last updated: .
Finding
Ground source heat pump property
What this usually means
GSHPs are efficient but expensive to install. Surveyors look at age, service history, RHI registration (for income-producing systems), and the condition of the ground array.
Why it matters
Running costs and possible RHI income are the main financial considerations.
Ask your surveyor
- Check:What is the system age and service history?
- Check:Is the ground loop in good condition?
Ask the seller
- Check:Do you have RHI documentation?
- Check:What are the running costs?
Next steps
- •Get two written quotes from local trades before negotiating with the seller.
- •Speak to your mortgage broker before exchanging if the finding affects mortgageability.
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What you need to know
Severity
Maintenance item. Worth quoting and including in negotiation.
Typical cost to fix
GSHP service £200-£500/year. Component replacement (heat exchanger, pump) £1,500-£5,000. Full system replacement £15,000-£25,000+.
Mortgage impact
Standard.
Insurance impact
Some insurers require specialist policies.
When to pull out
Not relevant.
When to renegotiate, and by how much
If service overdue or failure imminent: £500-£3,000.
Thinking of pulling out or renegotiating? What to do after a bad survey
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The Survey Decoder explains the wording. The full report adds address-specific flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, listed status, building age and price comparison data, so a single finding isn't judged in isolation.
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Check the property before you offer
Free preview: flood risk, EPC rating, crime, tenure and air quality. The £9.99 report adds the remaining 17 checks, 22 in all, drawing on up to 15 public datasets.
Run a free previewRead next
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How MyPropertyScan produces this guide, and what it is not
Published by MyPropertyScan and written by Ziad Nasr, who is accountable for its accuracy. No page here is written or reviewed by a chartered surveyor, conveyancer or regulated adviser, and we do not claim otherwise.
This page is not:
- Chartered surveying: we do not inspect properties or produce RICS Home Survey reports
- Legal advice: we do not act as conveyancers or advise on title, tenure or contracts
- Mortgage or insurance advice: we are not regulated by the FCA and give no recommendations
Figures and process steps come from the published UK datasets and standards listed on this page, not from professional practice. Pages are updated when source coverage, survey cost assumptions, or lender and legal requirements materially change. Dataset limitations are set out on the methodology page.
Spotted something out of date or wrong? Email [email protected] and we will correct it and change the update date.
Sources used
We use UK public and specialist sources where they are available. Public datasets can be incomplete, delayed, or missing for some addresses. Treat them as a starting point, not as a replacement for professional advice.
Source standard: preference goes to official government datasets, statutory bodies, professional standards, and primary dataset publishers. We cite the source family on the page and explain coverage limits rather than filling gaps with unsupported estimates.
- Professional standard: RICS Home Survey StandardRICS standard for condition-based residential surveys in the UK.
- Learn more from: RICS consumer guide to surveysConsumer-facing guide to survey types and when each level is appropriate.
- Official guidance: GOV.UK buying or selling your homeGovernment overview of the home buying and selling process.