RICS Level 2 Survey in Salisbury

Our RICS Level 2 survey suits properties in conventional condition, so it works well for most homes in Salisbury. We inspect the main structural parts, including walls, roofs, foundations and floors, then check windows, doors and stairs, along with exterior joinery and finishes. We also look closely at the building services, heating, plumbing and electrical installations, and note anything that falls short of current safety standards or looks due for updating.

Salisbury homes come with their own set of details, and our surveyors know where to look. A lot of city-centre properties date from the Victorian or Edwardian periods and were built with traditional methods, such as solid brick walls, timber floors and cast iron rainwater goods. Those older houses can hide long-standing issues like rising damp, perished pointing or tired timber that a quick viewing will miss. Homes in flood-risk areas near the River Avon need careful checking too, especially for past water damage, flood resilience measures and the state of ground-floor electrics. We have seen properties along the Nadder and Ebble rivers, particularly in Fisherton, where signs of earlier water ingress were not mentioned by sellers.

We also look for movement and structural alterations that might point to subsidence, especially where clay sits beneath the chalk geology. In newer places around Old Sarum and Longhedge Village, we check for familiar new-build issues like weak insulation, poor finishing or defects linked to modern construction methods. The junction between old and new work matters as well, because many Salisbury homes have had extensions added over time that may no longer line up with current building regulations. Every RICS Level 2 survey comes with a clear condition rating system, so issues needing immediate attention, further investigation or simple monitoring are easy to spot.

• Structural walls and foundations
• Roof covering and structure
• Windows, doors, and joinery
• Damp and timber condition
• Building services (gas, electric, water)
• Boundary walls and outbuildings

Surveying properties across Salisbury, we keep coming back to a few recurring issues that buyers should know about. Damp is especially common in Victorian and Edwardian homes, where original solid walls do not have cavity insulation and damp-proof courses may be missing or failing over time. Ground-floor rooms in period properties often show signs of rising damp, especially where external ground levels have been built up over the years or where original ventilation has been blocked. We have found notable damp problems in properties along the lower-lying streets near the River Avon, where the water table is higher and drainage is poorer. Our surveyors use moisture meters and thermal imaging to work out where damp is present and how serious it is.

Timber defects are another regular finding in Salisbury's older housing stock. Woodworm activity is common in properties with original softwood timber frames, floor joists or roof structures. Wet and dry rot can affect timber that has been exposed to persistent dampness, especially where gutters leak, leadwork has failed or roof spaces lack proper ventilation. Many Victorian homes in the city centre still have original sash windows with perished cords, broken pulleys or rotted timber sills that need specialist repair. We have seen plenty of cases where sash windows in Georgian and Victorian properties were left too long and ended up needing full restoration by specialist joiners, a significant cost that our survey will pick up early.

Homes built before the 1990s often need electrical updating to meet current regulations, and our surveyors will note any obvious hazards or the absence of consumer unit upgrades. That matters even more where multiple DIY renovations have taken place over the years, because the electrical work may never have been properly certified. We recommend that every buyer gets a separate electrical inspection certificate from a qualified electrician, but our survey will flag the obvious issues that may need urgent attention before completion.

Roof condition is checked carefully on every survey. Older properties often have original clay tile or slate roofs that may be nearing the end of their useful life. We look for slipped tiles, damaged ridge tiles, failed leadwork around chimneys and the condition of flat roof coverings on extensions. In homes with converted roof spaces, we examine the quality of the conversion, including insulation depth, the structural adequacy of any dormer windows and the condition of any Velux-style rooflights. For properties in flood-risk areas, we also pay close attention to ground-floor electrical installations, any flood damage that may not have been repaired properly and the strength of existing flood resilience measures.

Longhedge Village and Old Sarum new-builds tend to bring a different pattern of issues. Even where maintenance demands are lower, we still often pick up snagging points such as weak sealant around windows, thin loft insulation, poorly fitted kitchen units and small defects in brickwork or rendering. The NHBC warranty may cover some of these, but our survey records them clearly so you can ask the developer to put things right before the defects period runs out. We know the construction methods used by the main developers active in the Salisbury area and are familiar with the typical defects that appear.