RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Redcar and Cleveland

A Level 3 survey is the most detailed visual inspection in the RICS Home Survey range. Our surveyors look at all accessible parts of the building and report on construction, materials, defects, condition, repair needs and maintenance priorities. In a Redcar terrace near Coatham, or a larger house in Guisborough with later alterations, that means clear comments on what is sound, what is worn, and what needs attention now rather than later.

The report also explains the consequences of leaving defects alone. A slipped slate, cracked render, failing gutter, rotten window frame or damp patch can move from a nuisance to a costly repair if it is ignored. Our surveyors do not open up the fabric, lift carpets, carry out drainage CCTV, or test electrics and gas. Those are specialist follow-ups, and the report will say when they are sensible after an inspection on a house in Marske-by-the-Sea, Saltburn or Loftus.

RICS Level 3 works well where the buyer needs detail, not guesswork. That often means a pre-1920s home, a listed property, a house with extensions, or a building that has been heavily altered over time. It is also the right call if visible defects already show on a viewing, such as cracked masonry, patch repairs to a roof, stained ceilings, or a doorway that looks as though it has moved. Our reports follow the RICS Home Survey Standard.

• Roof coverings and chimneys
• External walls and pointing
• Loft timbers and insulation
• Floors, sub-floor voids and visible services

Coastal exposure matters here. Properties along Redcar's seafront and around the Esplanade face salt-laden air, hard weather and repeated wetting, so roof coverings, metal fixings, mortar joints and timber joinery can deteriorate faster than buyers expect. Our surveyors also keep an eye on flood risk from rivers, the sea, surface water and groundwater, because the borough's SFRA identifies drainage problems in Redcar, Eston and Guisborough.

Conservation areas change the picture again. Saltburn, Loftus, Brotton, Coatham, Guisborough, Hutton Lowcross, Kirkleatham, Liverton Village and Marske all have historic settings where later alterations, replacement windows, roof patches or renders can sit awkwardly with the original building. Listed buildings in the borough add another layer of care, with examples such as Christ Church on Coatham Road, the Church of St Peter on Redcar Lane, Clarendon House on High Street East and the R.N.L.I. Zetland Lifeboat Museum on the Esplanade.

The point of a Level 3 survey is not to frighten you. It is to separate ordinary wear from defects that need action. A roof defect on a Marske property, cracking around a bay in Coatham, or damp to a lower wall in Loftus may turn out to be localised and manageable. It may also point to a wider issue with movement, drainage or failed maintenance, and the report should say which is which.

• Coastal salt exposure
• Flash rainfall and overwhelmed drains
• Older roof coverings and repointing failures
• Extended houses with hidden junctions