RICS Level 2 Survey in Ashington

Our RICS Level 2 survey is a visual inspection of the accessible parts of the property. We look at the roof, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, and visible services, then set out the findings using the RICS traffic-light condition ratings. In Ashington, that works well on a 1990s semi near Wansbeck Road, or a later terrace in NE63 that has been looked after and has no obvious signs of movement.

The survey does not involve lifting carpets, opening up floors, cutting into walls, or testing services. We do not carry out destructive checks, and we do not ask the contractor to start taking things apart on the day. That matters on older colliery housing near First Row, where fresh decoration can hide damp staining, or on listed buildings such as Numbers 21 and 22 First Row, where a fuller Level 3 inspection is usually the better choice.

A Level 2 report is lighter than a Level 3 Building Survey, and that is the point. It gives you a clear view of visible condition, likely risks, and matters that need a closer look, without the depth needed for unusual construction or heavy alteration. Homes at Woodhorn Meadows or Woodhorn Grange can still need it, but only if the property is conventional, reasonably straightforward, and not carrying obvious structural questions.

• Roof coverings
• brickwork and pointing
• ceilings and floors
• visible plumbing and electrics

Ashington grew from a small hamlet in the 1840s and then expanded fast as coal mining took hold. By 1887, 665 colliery houses had been built in eleven long rows, which is why terraced homes still form so much of the housing story in NE63. That history matters when we inspect, because older brickwork, shared walls, and original floors can all carry age-related defects.

Flood and ground conditions also shape what we look for. The River Wansbeck borders the town to the south, and the ground to the north-west has been affected by mining subsidence that can leave farmland slightly uneven and, at times, prone to flooding. If a property sits on made ground, or if drains and boundary walls have already shifted, we will flag it clearly in the report.

Ashington has several listed buildings, including Numbers 21 and 22 First Row and the Ashington Co-operative Society premises of 1924. Woodhorn Colliery is also a Scheduled Monument, with headgear, heapstead, engine houses, fan houses, and parts of the railway system still part of the story. We have not identified a confirmed conservation area boundary, so we would not assume one, but listed or heavily altered buildings in this town usually need a Level 3 survey rather than a Level 2.

The newer side of the market is changing too. home.co.uk listings show Woodhorn Grange from £287,950 to £339,950, Woodhorn Meadows from £184,950 to £291,950, and Paddock Wood from £334,950 to £449,950, while a proposal on Wansbeck Road on the south western edge of Ashington would add up to 190 family homes. The Northumberland Line now brings passenger rail from Ashington to Newcastle, and local employers such as Wansbeck General Hospital, AkzoNobel, Bernicia, and Chisholm Bookmakers keep the town tied to everyday working life rather than just its mining past.