RICS Level 2 Survey in B91 Solihull

Our RICS Level 2 survey covers all visible and accessible elements of a property, following the RICS Home Survey Standard. Every component is rated using a traffic-light condition system: condition 1 means no action is needed, condition 2 means monitoring or minor repair is advised, and condition 3 means urgent attention or further specialist investigation is required before you exchange contracts.

In B91, where buyers frequently compete for desirable properties at premium prices, having an independent, professional survey is especially valuable. Solihull's mix of older and newer housing means no two properties present the same risk profile. Our surveyors assess each home on its own terms, based on direct inspection rather than desktop assumptions.

• Roof coverings, ridge tiles, valleys, and lead flashings
• Chimney stacks, pots, and flaunching condition
• External walls, brick pointing, render, and any half-timbered framing
• Lintels, sills, and evidence of structural movement or cracking
• Windows, doors, and external joinery condition
• Damp penetration - calibrated moisture meter readings across external walls
• Roof void accessed via loft hatch and inspected with binoculars from ground level
• Floors and subfloor void where accessible
• Internal ceilings, walls, and staircase construction
• Heating, plumbing, and electrical services - age and condition noted
• Grounds, outbuildings, boundary walls, and garage
• Market valuation and insurance reinstatement cost included as standard

The survey report is written in plain language, with each rated element explained and a clear recommendation given. Our surveyors are available by telephone after delivery to talk through the findings and answer your questions - a conversation that buyers consistently tell us is the most valuable part of the whole process.

Solihull's most desirable properties are often its oldest, and older construction brings a predictable range of maintenance issues. Our surveyors cover B91 regularly, and the following defects are among the most frequently identified in the postcode's housing stock across all price points.

• Timber frame cracking and movement in half-timbered Edwardian and interwar properties
• Damp ingress at render-to-timber junctions in period properties
• Chimney stacks with failed lead flashings, loose flaunching, or spalled brickwork
• Original single-glazed timber windows with rot in lower rails and sills
• Flat roof sections to rear extensions that have exceeded their service life
• Asbestos-containing materials in pre-1985 properties - artex ceilings, vinyl floor tiles, pipe lagging
• Clay subsoil shrink-swell subsidence risk in properties without adequate tree clearance
• Outdated electrical consumer units with no RCD protection in older homes
• Poorly maintained drainage - blocked gullies, cracked underground drain runs, tree root penetration

Clay shrink-swell subsidence deserves specific mention in B91. Much of the West Midlands sits on Mercia Mudstone, a clay-rich bedrock that shrinks in dry summers and expands in wet winters. Properties with large trees in close proximity, particularly those planted at distances less than the mature tree height from the building, may show seasonal diagonal cracking at window and door openings. Our surveyors assess crack patterns, gauge whether movement appears historic and stable or recent and active, and recommend specialist structural engineer input where warranted.

At the upper end of the B91 market - detached properties priced above £700,000 - buyers sometimes assume that a premium price reflects premium condition. In practice, expensive properties can carry just as many defects as more modestly priced homes, and sometimes more, simply because they have been standing longer and have accumulated multiple eras of alteration, extension, and deferred maintenance.