Common Issues Found in Homebuyer Surveys and What to Do Next

Getting a survey back with a long list of findings can feel unsettling. It shouldn’t. Problem-free surveys are rare, particularly on older properties, and the presence of issues in the report doesn’t automatically mean something has gone wrong with your purchase. What matters is understanding what those findings actually mean, how serious they are, and what your options are.

A RICS Level 2 survey uses a three-point condition rating system to describe the state of each element of the property. Condition rating one means no significant issues and no action is needed. Rating two means repairs or maintenance are required but not urgently. Rating three means serious defects that need immediate specialist investigation. Most survey reports include a mix of ratings across different elements. The question isn’t whether defects have been found. It’s whether they fall into the category that affects your decision to proceed, your negotiating position, or both.

Somerset & Sinclair carries out RICS Level 2 surveys across Greater London and the Home Counties. What follows is a practical account of the issues our surveyors find most regularly, what each one means in practice, and how to respond when they appear in your report.

Damp and Moisture Ingress

Damp is the single most common finding in UK property surveys. According to the government’s English Housing Survey published in early 2025, 1.4 million dwellings in England had a damp problem in 2024. In London, where a significant proportion of the housing stock is Victorian or Edwardian, and where basement and lower-ground floor conversions are common, the figure is particularly relevant.

Not all damp is the same, and understanding the type matters.

Rising Damp

Rising damp occurs when ground moisture travels upward through the building’s masonry. It typically affects the lower sections of walls and is identified by characteristic tide marks, damaged skirting boards, and crumbling plaster at low level. A failed or absent damp-proof course is the usual cause. Remediation can range from targeted injection of a new damp-proof course to more extensive works depending on the severity.

Penetrating Damp

Penetrating damp enters through the external fabric of the building, most commonly through failed pointing, cracked render, defective roof coverings, or blocked and overflowing gutters. It tends to appear as patches rather than a consistent horizontal band. The location of the staining usually points to the source. Identifying the entry point is the priority before any internal treatment is considered.

Condensation

Condensation is the most common and generally the least serious form of damp. It results from warm, moist air coming into contact with cooler surfaces. It’s particularly prevalent in bathrooms, kitchens, and north-facing rooms with poor ventilation. In most cases, improved ventilation is the primary remedy. Where condensation has been prolonged, mould growth and damage to finishes may require attention.

What to Do

If damp is found in your Level 2 survey with a condition rating of two or three, commission a specialist damp survey before exchange. This will identify the specific type, extent, and cause, and provide a remediation cost. That report then gives you a documented basis to approach the seller for a price reduction or to request that works are carried out before completion.

RICS Level 2 survey

Roof Defects

The roof is one of the most significant elements in any Level 2 survey, and one of the most expensive to put right when serious issues are found. Surveyors assess the roof externally and, where access is available through a roof hatch, inspect the roof space internally.

Common findings include missing or slipped tiles, deteriorated ridge and hip mortar, failed flashings around chimney stacks and abutments, degraded felt underlay, and signs of water ingress to the roof timbers or ceiling below. On older properties the underlay beneath tiles can break down to the point where moisture enters even when the tiles above appear largely intact.

Flat roofs on rear extensions are a particular issue in London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing. A flat roof has a significantly shorter lifespan than a pitched roof, and many of the extensions on these properties are approaching or past the end of their serviceable life. A blister, split, or ponding water on a flat roof surface will almost always receive a condition rating of two or three.

What to Do

A condition rating three on the roof means a specialist roofer should assess the property before you exchange. Get a written quote. Use it alongside the survey report to negotiate with the seller. Minor tile repairs are relatively inexpensive. Structural issues to roof timbers, or full replacement of a failed flat roof, can run into several thousand pounds and should be factored into your negotiating position.

Structural Movement and Cracking

Cracks in walls are common and not all of them are cause for concern. Hairline cracks in plaster are a normal consequence of thermal movement and minor settlement in most buildings. What the surveyor is looking for is the pattern, width, and location of cracks that might indicate something more significant.

Signs That Warrant Attention

Diagonal cracks wider than a few millimetres, particularly those wider at one end than the other, cracks that pass through brickwork joints rather than staying in the plaster, and cracks appearing around door and window openings are all more significant findings. Sticking doors and windows, sloping floors, and visible deflection in lintels are also indicators that structural movement has occurred or is ongoing.

Subsidence

Subsidence is ground movement beneath the foundations that causes the building to sink or shift. It’s one of the more serious conditions a survey can identify, and in London it carries particular relevance. Large areas of the city are underlain by London clay, a soil type that shrinks significantly during dry summers and expands in wet weather, placing cyclic stress on shallow foundations. Properties near large trees or in areas with a history of leaking drains are at elevated risk.

A condition rating three for structural movement means a structural engineer needs to assess the property before exchange. This is not optional. The cost of remedial underpinning, if required, can be substantial, and properties with a confirmed history of subsidence can be difficult to insure and difficult to mortgage.

What to Do

If your report flags structural movement, commission a structural engineer’s report before proceeding. Don’t rely on the seller’s assurances. If the movement is historic, stable, and minor, that’s a very different situation to active subsidence requiring intervention. A structural engineer will tell you which it is.

Institution of Structural Engineers

The Institution of Structural Engineers maintains a public directory to help buyers find a qualified structural engineer for a specialist assessment.

Chimney Stack Deterioration

Chimney stacks are among the most consistently defective elements found in London survey reports, particularly on Victorian and Edwardian properties where chimney stacks are large, multiple, and have often been left without maintenance for decades.

Common findings include failed mortar joints and pointing, loose or cracked chimney pots, defective or absent lead flashings at the base of the stack where it meets the roof, and in more serious cases, structural movement within the stack itself. A chimney stack in poor condition is a water entry point and, in advanced cases, a structural risk.

What to Do

Condition rating two chimney findings are common and generally manageable. Repointing, replacing pots, and relaying lead flashings are all relatively straightforward specialist jobs. Condition rating three findings on a chimney, particularly where there’s evidence of movement or significant water ingress, warrant a specialist assessment before exchange and should factor into any price negotiation.

Drainage Issues

The survey includes a visual assessment of drainage, covering gutters, downpipes, and gullies where accessible. Below-ground drainage is not inspected as part of a standard Level 2 survey. Where above-ground drainage issues are noted, or where there are other indicators of drainage problems such as damp lower walls, foul odours, or slow-clearing gullies, the report will recommend a CCTV drain survey.

Failed guttering is one of the most frequently noted items in survey reports across London’s older housing stock. Blocked gutters and downpipes allow water to run directly down external walls, which is one of the leading causes of penetrating damp. A full gutter replacement on a standard property is not a major cost, but the cumulative damage that failed guttering causes over time can be.

What to Do

If drainage is flagged with a condition rating of three, or if the report recommends a CCTV drain survey, commission one before exchange. Drainage defects are not always visible from the surface, and a CCTV survey can reveal cracked, displaced, or root-ingressed pipes that would otherwise only appear after completion.

Timber Defects — Rot and Infestation

Timber elements within a property are vulnerable to both rot and insect infestation, particularly where moisture levels are elevated. Wet rot occurs in timber that is repeatedly wetted and dried, most commonly around window frames, external doors, and roof timbers near points of water ingress. Dry rot is more serious. It’s caused by the fungus Serpula lacrymans and can spread through masonry to affect previously dry timber well beyond the original source of moisture.

Woodworm, the larvae of wood-boring beetles, is a common finding in older properties, particularly in roof timbers and floor joists. Active infestation is more serious than historic evidence, and lenders often require a specialist timber report where active infestation is identified on a survey.

What to Do

A condition rating three on timber, whether for rot or active infestation, means a specialist timber and damp survey is needed before exchange. This should be carried out by a member of the Property Care Association, whose members are qualified to diagnose timber defects and provide treatment guarantees.

Property Care Association

What Is a Condition Rating 3 and What Should You Do?

A condition rating three in a homebuyer report is the most serious finding the survey can return. It means the element in question has defects that are serious, urgent, or require immediate specialist investigation before you exchange contracts. It does not automatically mean you should walk away. It means you need more information before you can make that decision.

The appropriate response to a condition rating three finding is always the same: commission a specialist report from a qualified professional in the relevant field before exchange. That might be a structural engineer, a damp and timber specialist, a roofer, or a drainage contractor. The specialist’s report will tell you the extent of the issue and what remediation would cost. That information then informs your decision to proceed, renegotiate, or withdraw.

Many buyers use condition rating three findings as the basis for a price negotiation. A price reduction that reflects the cost of remediation is a reasonable and common outcome when surveys identify significant defects. Your solicitor will advise on how to approach that conversation with the seller’s side.

RICS Level 2 vs Level 3 survey

If multiple condition rating three findings have been returned on an older or more complex property, it’s worth considering whether a RICS Level 2 vs Level 3 survey comparison is relevant to any future purchase. A Level 3 Building Survey provides greater technical depth and more detailed repair recommendations for properties where the Level 2 has identified significant concerns.

Conclusion

A survey report with findings is not a failed survey. It’s a survey doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. The issues covered in this article damp, roof defects, structural movement, chimney deterioration, drainage problems, and timber defects are all regularly found across London’s housing stock. Most of them are manageable. What matters is knowing about them before you exchange, not after.

Somerset & Sinclair carries out RICS Level 2 surveys across Greater London and the Home Counties. If you’ve received a survey report and want to talk through the findings before deciding your next step, call us on 020 4587 3343 or email info@somersetsinclair.co.uk.

book a RICS Level 2 survey with Somerset & Sinclair

If you haven’t yet commissioned your survey, you can book a RICS Level 2 survey with Somerset & Sinclair through our website or by calling us directly. We’re available Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm, and Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm.