Grade II Listed Building Survey, Hampstead High Street

Why a Level 3 survey was instructed on a listed Hampstead apartment

Hampstead Chartered Surveyors was instructed to undertake a RICS Level 3 Building Survey of a first-floor apartment within a prominent Grade II listed mixed-use building on Hampstead High Street prior to the client’s leasehold purchase.

The instruction included a comprehensive internal inspection together with a drone survey of the roof, so that inaccessible roof coverings and high-level masonry could be assessed safely. For a listed building with a private roof terrace over a flat roof, a mid-level survey would not have given enough certainty on water risk, heritage maintenance cost or leasehold repairing liability before exchange.

The property

The building is an early nineteenth-century listed property with a natural slate roof, stone façade and a substantial private roof terrace constructed over a flat roof. As a listed building, the survey also considered the implications of heritage legislation, future maintenance obligations and leasehold repairing responsibilities — issues that routinely affect buyers of flats in listed Hampstead stock.

What we did

We carried out a full RICS Level 3 Building Survey of the apartment and relevant accessible building elements affecting it, supported by a drone roof and high-level inspection. The drone survey focused on slate coverings, high-level masonry, ridge details, leadwork and the roof terrace waterproofing system that sat above the accommodation.

Internally, the inspection recorded water-related defects, their likely relationship to terrace and neighbouring-flat leaks, and the practical sequence of investigation and repair before cosmetic reinstatement.

Key findings

Roof (drone inspection): weathered slate coverings, previous patch repairs, displaced slates, deteriorating ridge details and ageing leadwork requiring further investigation and repair.

Roof terrace: ponding water, organic growth, surface cracking and evidence of an ageing waterproofing system approaching the end of its serviceable life. Terrace condition was considered a likely contributor to water ingress affecting the accommodation below.

Internally: active water ingress, damp-damaged plaster, ceiling staining and deterioration associated with both a reported leak from the flat above and defects within the terrace waterproofing. The report recommended that the source of the leaks be resolved before remedial works were undertaken.

The survey also highlighted the importance of confirming repairing obligations under the lease, particularly for the roof, terrace waterproofing and other structural elements, and set out advice on potential service charge liabilities, future major works and the additional costs of maintaining a listed building.

The outcome for the buyer

The client received a prioritised schedule of defects, indicative repair costs and recommendations for further investigations. That supported an informed decision before exchange of contracts — the core purpose of a Level 3 survey on a complex listed leasehold purchase in Hampstead.

Scope and limitations

The inspection was non-invasive and limited to accessible areas at the time of visit. Drone imagery improved assessment of the roof and high-level masonry but does not replace opening-up, specialist damp diagnosis where later justified, or legal interpretation of the lease. Lease advice in the survey report is technical and practical; formal legal interpretation of repairing covenants remains a matter for the client’s conveyancer. Heritage legislation implications were considered at survey level; listed building consent applications and detailed design were outside this instruction.

The client is identified by role only (prospective leasehold purchaser). The exact address is not published beyond Hampstead High Street / Hampstead.