THE FINDINGS GUIDE / SERIOUS VS SCARY
Red flags,
read properly.
Every survey finds something — that is the point of it. This guide separates the findings that deserve real attention from the ones that only look frightening.
See findings in a real report →THE ANSWER / READ THIS FIRST
A red flag is rarely a stop sign. It is a price tag you haven't seen yet.
Almost every serious finding has the same next step: a specialist quote, obtained before exchange, used in negotiation. The findings that genuinely end purchases are the ones where the cost cannot be established in time — or the seller will not engage with what the evidence shows.
01 / THE SIX THAT MATTER
What actually deserves the word “serious”.
- 01Active structural movement — Stepped cracking, distortion, doors out of square — pattern and progression decide severity
- 02Damp without a resolved cause — The finding is not 'damp' — it is 'damp we cannot yet explain'. The cause decides the cost
- 03Roof structure, not roof covering — Slipped tiles are maintenance; spread, sag or cut timbers are structure
- 04Dated electrics, no certification — An EICR before exchange turns an unknown into a number
- 05Drainage defects — Cheap to inspect with CCTV, expensive to discover after completion
- 06Japanese knotweed — A management plan question — mortgageable with one, painful without
02 / THE ONE EVERYONE FEARS
Cracks:
mostly innocent.
Most cracking is settlement, shrinkage or seasonal movement — cosmetic, common, cheap. The pattern that earns investigation: wide, stepped, growing, or paired with doors that no longer fit. Pattern first, panic never.
When cause matters, it’s Level 3 ↗︎Cracking — rear addition
Stepped cracking to the junction between the main house and the rear addition, wider at the top and visible internally. The pattern suggests differential movement of the addition on its shallower foundation.
03 / WHAT TO DO WITH A RED FLAG
Quote it.
Then negotiate it.
The sequence that works: get the recommended specialist report before exchange, turn it into a written cost, and put the evidence to the seller — reduce, fix, or meet in the middle. Most sellers engage, because your surveyor’s findings will greet every future buyer too. Walk away only when the numbers cannot be established in time, exceed your buffer, or the seller refuses the evidence.
04 / THE REFRAME
A survey that finds nothing wrong bought you certainty. One that finds problems bought you leverage.
Either way the fee worked. The only losing move is finding the problems after completion, when they are yours at full price. Get your fixed price →
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Before you ask.
01What are the biggest red flags on a house survey?+
Active structural movement, widespread damp with an unresolved cause, roof structure problems, dated electrics with no certification, drainage defects, and Japanese knotweed. Each is serious because of cost or mortgageability — and each still has a next step, usually a specialist report and a renegotiation.
02Should I pull out if the survey finds problems?+
Rarely as a first response. Most findings become quotes, and quotes become renegotiation. Walking away is the right answer when the seller won't engage, the cost is beyond your buffer, or the defect affects mortgageability and can't be resolved in time.
03Are cracks in walls a red flag?+
Usually not — most cracking is settlement, plaster shrinkage or thermal movement. The flags that matter are cracks that are wide (over about 5mm), stepped through brickwork, growing, or paired with doors and windows that no longer fit their frames. That pattern needs investigation, not panic.
04Can a bad survey reduce the price?+
Frequently. A survey finding with a written repair quote behind it is evidence, and most sellers adjust rather than lose the sale and relist. This is the survey's most common return on its fee.
05What does 'further investigation' mean on a survey?+
It means the surveyor has seen enough evidence to point a specialist at something — drainage CCTV, a structural engineer, an electrical test — before you commit. It is the report protecting you, not passing the buck.