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Buying a Home With External Wall Insulation: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? External wall insulation can improve thermal performance, reduce heat loss and make a property more comfortable. A properly designed and installed system can perform successfully for many years. However, the insulation covers the original external wall and introduces new junctions around roofs, windows, doors, pipework and ground level. Buyers should therefore understand what has been installed

Older Electrical Installations: What Can—and Can’t—a Home Survey Tell You? Older properties often contain electrical installations assembled over several decades. A house may have a modern consumer unit but retain older wiring elsewhere, while extensions and alterations may have introduced additional circuits of varying ages and standards. Electrical work can also be concealed beneath floors, within walls and above ceilings. Buyers should therefore understand what a home surv

Parapet Walls and Box Gutters: Why Can Small Defects Cause Major Leaks? Parapet walls and box gutters are common features on period properties, roof extensions and buildings with concealed drainage. They can create a neat roofline, but they also introduce vulnerable junctions that may be difficult to inspect from ground level. A blocked outlet, cracked coping joint or small split in a gutter lining can allow water to enter the structure. Because the defect may be hidden behin

Cavity-Wall Insulation in Older Homes: What Should a Survey Consider? Cavity-wall insulation can improve a home’s thermal performance and reduce heat loss. Millions of properties have been insulated successfully. However, retrospective insulation is not suitable for every wall, and problems can arise where the building was unsuitable, the external masonry was defective or the material was installed incorrectly. When buying an older home, the presence of cavity-wall insulation

Vacant and Probate Properties: What Can Deteriorate While a Home Is Empty? A vacant property can appear quiet and undisturbed, but buildings do not stop deteriorating when nobody is living in them. Minor defects that an occupier would normally notice can remain undiscovered, allowing water penetration, plumbing leaks, condensation, pest activity and security problems to become progressively worse. This is particularly relevant when buying a probate property. A home may have r

Shared Drains and Sewers: What Should Property Buyers Investigate? Drainage rarely receives much attention during a property viewing. However, blocked, damaged or poorly altered pipework can cause unpleasant disruption and potentially significant expense. The position becomes more complicated where drains are shared with neighbouring properties. Before exchanging contracts, buyers should understand what drainage serves the property, who is responsible for it and whether exten

Buying a House With Solar Panels: What Should Be Checked Before Exchange? Solar photovoltaic panels can reduce electricity costs and allow a homeowner to generate renewable energy. They can be an attractive feature when buying a property, particularly where the installation is modern, properly maintained and supported by suitable documentation. However, solar panels also introduce additional legal, electrical and building-related matters. Buyers should establish who owns the

Conservatories: When Does an Attractive Addition Become a Repair Liability? A conservatory can make a property feel brighter and more spacious. It may provide a pleasant connection with the garden and create useful dining, sitting or working space. However, conservatories are exposed structures containing numerous glazed panels, seals, joints and lightweight components. When they are poorly designed, inadequately maintained or approaching the end of their serviceable life, th

Has the Garage Been Converted Properly? What Buyers Should Check A converted garage can provide valuable additional living space. It may become a bedroom, home office, playroom or part of an enlarged kitchen. However, not every garage conversion has been properly designed, approved or constructed. A converted garage can provide valuable additional living space. It may become a bedroom, home office, playroom or part of an enlarged kitchen. However, not every garage conversion

Bay Windows in Victorian and Edwardian Houses: What Defects Can a Survey Reveal? Bay windows are a familiar feature of Victorian and Edwardian houses throughout London. They increase natural light, create additional internal space and contribute significantly to the character of a property. However, a bay is not simply a set of windows. It is a projecting part of the building with its own walls, roof, foundations and structural connections. Its exposed position and constructi

End-of-Terrace Houses: What Extra Risks Should Buyers Consider? An end-of-terrace house can offer several advantages over a mid-terrace property. It usually has only one directly adjoining neighbour, additional windows, improved side access and sometimes a wider plot with extension potential. However, the exposed flank wall and additional external elements can create defects and maintenance liabilities that are not present, or are less significant, in the middle of a terrace.

Should You Commission a Survey Before Bidding at a Property Auction? Buying a property at auction can be exciting. The process is fast, competitive and capable of presenting opportunities that do not always reach the conventional market. However, that speed also creates substantial risk. With a conventional private sale, a buyer can usually arrange a survey after agreeing the purchase price and withdraw or renegotiate before exchange. At a traditional unconditional auction, t

Buying a Ground-Floor Garden Flat: What Problems Should a Survey Reveal? A ground-floor garden flat can offer advantages that are difficult to find elsewhere in London. Direct access to outside space, fewer internal stairs and accommodation opening onto a garden can make these properties especially attractive. However, their position at the base of the building creates particular risks. External ground levels, drainage, dampness, suspended floors and rear additions can all af

Buying an Ex-Local Authority Flat: Why Is a Detailed Survey Important? Ex-local authority flats remain an important part of London’s housing market. They can offer generous rooms, practical layouts and locations where equivalent privately developed properties are considerably more expensive. However, the expression “ex-local authority” does not describe one form of construction. The property might be within a traditional brick-built block, a concrete-framed estate, a low-rise

Buying a London Maisonette: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Maisonettes are found throughout London in converted houses, purpose-built blocks and post-war housing estates. They often offer more internal space than a conventional flat, sometimes arranged over two floors with a private entrance, garden, balcony or roof terrace. However, the word “maisonette” describes the arrangement of the accommodation rather than its construction. One maisonette may occupy part of a Vi

Buying a 1960s Concrete-Framed Flat: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Flats built during the 1960s can offer generous rooms, large windows and convenient London locations. However, their construction may differ substantially from that of a traditional brick-built house. Some blocks have reinforced concrete frames and floors enclosed by brickwork, panels or lightweight cladding; others used proprietary systems. A purchaser should not assume that every concrete-framed bloc

Buying a London Flat With a Flat Roof: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Buying a top-floor flat in London can be attractive. These properties often benefit from good natural light, greater privacy and freedom from noise caused by occupants living above. However, where the flat is immediately beneath a flat roof, the roof’s construction and condition require careful consideration. Defects can cause water penetration, deterioration of concealed materials and substantial se

RICS Responds to Major Changes in Home Buying and Selling The housing market in the UK has been undergoing significant shifts due to various economic, social, and regulatory factors. As one of the leading bodies in the property and surveying profession, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) plays a crucial role in addressing these changes, ensuring that both industry practitioners and consumers adapt effectively. Recent developments emphasise RICS's response to

Post-Purchase Roadmap: Turning a RICS Survey into a Practical Maintenance Plan for the First Five Years Buying a home is the start of a...

From Anxiety to Assurance: A Surveyor’s Guide to Home Surveys Buying a home is one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions most people make. It’s exciting, but it’s also full of uncertainty and that’s why instructing a home survey often ranks high among a buyer’s worries. With over 18 years’ experience as a building surveyor, I’ve guided hundreds of buyers through this exact moment. Below I outline the common concerns clients bring to me, explain what a survey can (a