RICS Level 3 Building Survey Kettering

A Level 3 survey is the most detailed RICS Home Survey. We use it for Kettering homes where age, alteration or construction type raises the stakes, especially in the town centre and in parts of Barton Seagrave where extensions, knock-throughs and roof changes are common. Our surveyors inspect all accessible parts and describe how the building is put together, what condition the materials are in, and where defects are likely to lead if they are left alone.

The inspection goes beyond a quick walk-through. We look at the roof coverings, chimneys, walls, floors, ceilings, joinery, loft space where it can be reached, and the sub-floor where access exists. On a Victorian terrace in Kettering, that can mean checking for cracking near a bay window, damp staining around a chimney breast, or decay in older timber work, then explaining what the repair means for the purchase price and future upkeep.

The report also tells you what is outside the scope. It does not involve destructive investigation, opening up walls, lifting carpets, drainage CCTV or testing electrical and gas systems. Those are separate specialist tasks. What you do get is a clear record of visible condition, repair priorities, and the consequences of leaving a defect alone, which is useful when a seller wants a fast answer and the property in question has a lot of history behind it.

• Accessible roof space where it can be entered
• Visible structure, walls and floors
• Sub-floor areas where access exists
• Materials, defects, repair priorities and maintenance advice

Kettering's housing mix drives the kinds of defects we see. The town centre has older brick homes, some with later alterations, while newer stock appears in places like Westhill, Seagrave Park at Hanwood Park, Bertone Gardens, Polwell Lane and Warkton Lane. That means a survey here may need to deal with very different issues on the same day, from ageing roof coverings on an older terrace to settlement cracks on a new plot where ground conditions or recent work still need watching.

In older homes, the usual suspects are damp, roof wear, timber decay and movement around openings. A late Victorian house near the centre can show worn mortar joints, cracked plaster near chimney breasts or signs that previous repairs were carried out without much care. On homes that have had extensions, the junction between old and new work deserves close attention, because small cracks there can be harmless settling or a sign that movement needs a closer look from a structural engineer.

homedata.co.uk records 658 sales in the last 12 months, so buyers are still moving through the market even as prices changed by only 1.04% over the year. That kind of activity tends to expose repeated issues rather than one-off surprises, and the same themes come up again and again in Kettering. Roof coverings age, gutters overflow, and sub-floor timbers can be overlooked until a survey puts them in context.

• Damp staining around chimney breasts and on solid walls
• Cracking at bay windows, extensions and old-to-new junctions
• Roof wear, slipped coverings and ageing flashings
• Timber decay, gutter defects and sub-floor moisture