RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Croft, East Lindsey

Croft, in East Lindsey, has a housing stock that makes a RICS Level 3 survey well worth having. With average property prices around £280,000, and detached homes reaching £310,000, buyers are usually making a major financial commitment here. A lot of the local homes use traditional red brick and pantile roofing, and those materials need an experienced eye to judge how well they are holding up.

Some of the village's buildings go back a long way, with properties from the 18th century and possibly earlier still. The Hollies Farmhouse, a mid-18th century farmhouse in red brick with pantile roofing, is a good example of the sort of period place that calls for close structural scrutiny. The same goes for The Old Chequers Inn, an 18th-century Grade II listed building, where a Level 3 survey can make the condition and risks much clearer before a purchase goes ahead.

We assess every property with the local setting in mind. Croft's coastal position brings moisture and salt air, both of which can speed up the deterioration of building materials. The village is also low-lying at the mouth of the River Steeping, so flood risk is a real issue in some spots, especially near Church Lane and along the Little River Lymn and Cowcroft Drain.

During a Croft inspection, we look closely for salt damage to brickwork, corroded metal fittings and any sign that flooding has happened before. A standard HomeBuyer survey may mention points like these, but a Level 3 report lets us examine them in far more depth. We have seen repeatedly what coastal exposure does to buildings in this part of Lincolnshire, so we know which defects need to be pushed to the top of the list.

Croft's building materials tell a lot of the village's story. Red brick walls and pantile roofs are common in both historic homes and later residential properties. Croft Windmill, which is Grade II listed, shows traditional tarred red brick with brick battlements, while major older buildings such as All Saints Church feature greenstone construction from the 14th century. Because of that mix, we do not apply one test to every house, our surveyors adjust their assessment to the type of property in front of them.

Salt-laden coastal air can be hard on buildings. In this area it often speeds up corrosion in metal fixtures and can gradually weaken some forms of brickwork and mortar. Where maintenance has slipped, wear can be noticeably worse on exposed parts of the property, especially roof coverings and external render. Our Level 3 survey checks those vulnerable areas carefully and records any deterioration we find.

Croft has a number of listed buildings, with at least 13 structures holding protected status, and that can affect what owners are allowed to alter or repair. We understand those limits and can flag work that may need listed building consent before it is carried out. We also comment on the condition of historic features that could influence insurance or renovation plans after purchase.

Ground conditions are another reason to get a professional opinion. This is a low-lying coastal area, and with water courses close by, conditions underfoot can change quite a bit across the village. Our surveyors look for evidence of subsidence, settlement and other forms of ground movement that may point to instability in the soil, whatever the underlying cause may be.

Flooding is one of the main environmental considerations in Croft. The village can be affected from several directions, with the Little River Lymn, Cowcroft Drain and the River Steeping all running through or beside it. Homes on Church Lane and Croft Road are regarded as especially vulnerable in flood events. Beyond that, this stretch of North Sea coastline also carries a wider risk linked to any breaching of sea defences.

As part of a Level 3 survey, we assess flood risk indicators and any evidence that flood damage has occurred before. We inspect drainage arrangements, compare ground levels with nearby water courses and consider the state of any flood defence measures present at the property. In identified flood risk zones, that detail can be extremely useful for insurance and for planning protective works. We have surveyed Croft homes affected by flooding in previous years, so we know the signs to watch for.

Research did not identify specific data on clay shrink-swell behaviour in Croft's underlying geology, but the area's low-lying coastal setting still makes ground conditions something we take seriously. Our surveyors are trained to spot movement, subsidence and settlement that may suggest unstable soils, whatever the exact cause turns out to be. We also look at the possible effect of coastal erosion, particularly for properties nearer to Gibraltar Point.

Croft's closeness to Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve adds another factor to owning property here. It does not directly change the structure of a building, but it can still matter for insurance and for understanding the wider environmental backdrop to a purchase. We take those broader points into account as part of our environmental assessment of the property.