RICS Level 2 Survey in Oadby

A Level 2 survey is a visual inspection of the parts of the property our surveyor can reach safely on the day. In Oadby, that usually means brickwork, roof coverings, rainwater goods, visible joinery, floors, ceilings, chimneys, windows and the services you can see without lifting carpets or opening up the building. The report uses the RICS traffic-light system, so each issue is graded in a way that makes triage much easier. That matters on a 1907 house near The Knoll just as much as it does on a newer flat off Gartree Road.

The survey does not involve destructive testing. We do not lift floorboards, move furniture, test boilers, check hidden pipework or inspect areas that are not safely accessible, such as sealed ducts or fully boarded sections of the loft. For that reason, a Level 2 works best on a standard brick house or flat in reasonable order, including many homes around New Street and the Cottage Farm development. A Level 3 is the better fit where the house is older, heavily altered, listed or showing obvious signs of defect.

Our surveyors look for signs that affect use, repair cost and future risk. In Oadby Hill Top and Meadowcourt, that can mean checking whether chimney stacks are weathered, whether roof tiles have slipped, whether damp staining is active, and whether the floors are showing movement at the skirting line. On a more modern home, such as a property at Stoughton Park, the focus can shift to cracking in rendered walls, poor junctions around extensions, or drainage details that do not quite sit right. A Level 2 gives you a clear picture, not a guess.

• Roof coverings and chimneys
• External walls and pointing
• Damp, timber and visible decay
• Ceilings, floors and doors
• Windows, gutters and rainwater goods
• Visible services and drainage fittings

Oadby Hill Top and Meadowcourt are not ordinary post-war streets. The conservation area appraisals date them to 1987 and 1988, and the larger houses were built for Leicester businessmen between 1902 and 1915. That matters because a property with original sash windows, decorative brickwork or a more complex roof profile can sit outside the sweet spot for a Level 2 report. If the home is listed, heavily extended or clearly of unusual build, a Level 3 is usually the safer choice.

The local flood picture also deserves attention. As of 16 May 2026 there were no flood alerts in Oadby, yet the area still carries long-term flood risk from rivers, the sea, surface water and groundwater. The June 2023 flood investigation report is a useful reminder, because it tied surface water flooding to Oadby and Wigston and noted that 18 residential properties suffered internal flooding again in January 2025. That kind of history can shape what our surveyors look for on ground floors, in garages and around low thresholds.

New housing in and around Oadby can still need a proper inspection. home.co.uk listings show new homes at Cottage Farm on New Street, Bellway plots at Stoughton Park on Gartree Road, and a proposed 232-home scheme at Oadby Grange off Windrush Drive, with entrance via Pipistrelle Way. A Level 2 survey is well suited to many of these standard-build homes, but it still needs to test the visible evidence, because fresh plaster can hide shrinkage cracks, poor drainage falls or sloppy finishing around windows and roofs. Leicester Racecourse, Sainsbury's and the M&S Foodhall may be familiar names locally, yet they do nothing to reduce the chance of a repair bill inside the house.

Density matters too. Oadby and Wigston was among the top 30% most densely populated English local authority areas in 2021, and that often means tighter plots, boundary issues and less room for drainage mistakes to go unnoticed. On streets close to the centre, our surveyors pay close attention to outbuildings, garage roofs, side passages and whether surface water has been pushed towards the building. Those details are small on paper. They are not small when you own the place.

• Oadby Hill Top and Meadowcourt conservation controls
• The Knoll, a 1907 Jacobean-style listed house
• Surface water history from the June 2023 flood report
• New homes at Cottage Farm and Stoughton Park
• Proposed Oadby Grange scheme off Windrush Drive