Building defects A–Z
Browse terms alphabetically, or use symptoms if you only know what you can see. A page describes possible mechanisms and next steps; it does not confirm the condition of a particular property.
- Basement and lower-ground water ingress
- Bridged damp-proof courses and raised thresholds
- Cavity wall-tie corrosion and failure
- Defective chimney-to-roof abutment weatherproofing
- Chimney stack and chimney breast defects
- Clay-related foundation movement susceptibility factors
- Cold-bridge condensation at structural junctions
- Cold roof insulation and ventilation imbalance
- Condensation and mould on cold surfaces
- Defective parapet and box gutter detailing
- Defective pointing and spalling brickwork
- Defective rainwater goods (gutters, downpipes, hoppers)
- Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) risk in concealed timbers
- Failed flashings and valley gutters
- Failed or inadequate lintels over openings
- Failure of flat roof coverings
- Decay of joist ends built into damp walls
- Ground-related moisture at wall bases (rising-damp pathway assessment)
- Inadequate underfloor ventilation to suspended timber floors
- Penetrating damp through solid masonry walls
- Defective garden and lightwell retaining walls
- Failure of traditional slate roof coverings
- Failure of concrete and clay tile roof coverings
- Roof spread and inadequate roof restraint
- Structural movement at bay windows
- Thermal and shrinkage cracking in masonry (non-foundation)
- Wet rot timber decay associated with prolonged moisture
- Vegetation-related foundation movement susceptibility factors
- Decay of wall plates and eaves timbers
- Active wood-boring insect attack in structural timber
Recommended next step
Speak to a surveyor firstWe confirm the proportionate instruction before quoting.
Ask a surveyor
Not sure what this means for your property? Speak with a Chartered Surveyor atHampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy.
From Survey Findings to Remedial Design, Tendering & Execution
Once our RICS chartered building surveyors have diagnosed the root cause of a defect through a Specific Defect & Building Pathology Investigation or RICS Home Survey, you can either instruct Hampstead Chartered Surveyors independently for JCT Contract Administration to tender the works to external contractors, or elect our joined-up group design-and-build route alongside our sister practices:
- Hampstead Architecture & Planning: Architectural drawings, conservation-area and listed-building consents, structural engineering coordination, and Building Regulations packages translated directly from the survey diagnostics.
- Hampstead Renovations: Principal contractor remedial execution, heritage masonry and roofing repairs, damp and timber remediation, and full residential refurbishments backed by £5M public liability, £10M employers' liability and contractors' all risks cover alongside Hampstead Chartered Surveyors' RICS-regulated Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII).
RICS Impartiality Note: Where Hampstead Chartered Surveyors acts as independent JCT Contract Administrator or Party Wall Surveyor, works are tendered strictly to independent third-party contractors in accordance with RICS conflict-of-interest governance.
Request a Specific Defect Inspection or Post-Survey Fee Quote
All fees are quoted transparently plus VAT (Specific Defect & Building Pathology inspections from £595 plus VAT).
Complete Building Defects, Symptoms & Post-Survey Reference Index
Browse every diagnostic defect guide, symptom pathway, property-type guide, and post-survey next-steps resource in the Hampstead Chartered Surveyors Building Defects Library:
- Penetrating damp through solid masonry walls
- Condensation and mould on cold surfaces
- Failure of traditional slate roof coverings
- Clay-related foundation movement susceptibility factors
- Wet rot timber decay associated with prolonged moisture
- Defective parapet and box gutter detailing
- Cavity wall-tie corrosion and failure
- Failure of flat roof coverings
- Defective pointing and spalling brickwork
- Basement and lower-ground water ingress
- Ground-related moisture at wall bases (rising-damp pathway assessment)
- Bridged damp-proof courses and raised thresholds
- Cold-bridge condensation at structural junctions
- Defective rainwater goods (gutters, downpipes, hoppers)
- Vegetation-related foundation movement susceptibility factors
- Thermal and shrinkage cracking in masonry (non-foundation)
- Failed or inadequate lintels over openings
- Roof spread and inadequate roof restraint
- Defective garden and lightwell retaining walls
- Failed flashings and valley gutters
- Defective chimney-to-roof abutment weatherproofing
- Chimney stack and chimney breast defects
- Cold roof insulation and ventilation imbalance
- Failure of concrete and clay tile roof coverings
- Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans) risk in concealed timbers
- Decay of joist ends built into damp walls
- Inadequate underfloor ventilation to suspended timber floors
- Decay of wall plates and eaves timbers
- Active wood-boring insect attack in structural timber
- Understand a building problem before deciding what to do next
- Building defects A–Z
- What have you noticed?
- Property types
- After the survey
- Guided starting points
- Level 2 vs Level 3 survey chooser
- Damp staining on internal walls or ceilings
- Diagonal or stepped cracks in masonry
- Ceiling stains that appear or worsen after rain
- Victorian terraced house
- Offer accepted
- Level 3 found significant damp
- Survey notes structural movement cracks
- Cracks in walls
- Damp patch on an internal wall
- Ceiling stains after rain
- Victorian solid-wall house context
- After a Level 3 survey