RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Solihull

Our RICS-qualified building surveyors inspect the visible parts of the property in Solihull, including roof spaces, sub-floor areas where access exists, walls, floors, joinery and the main external fabric. A house in Shirley, B90 4NE can be very different from a listed home in Solihull Town Centre, so we record how the building sits together, not just what it looks like on a viewing. The report follows the RICS Home Survey Standard and explains the materials, the condition, and the defects that matter.

The report also sets out what the issue means. If we see loose roof coverings, cracked masonry, damp staining or tired timber, our report explains the likely cause, the repair priority and the consequences of leaving it alone. That matters on older homes in Knowle, Dorridge and Hampton-in-Arden, where a small defect can move into a larger repair if it is left through another wet winter.

A Level 3 survey is visual, not destructive. We do not lift carpets, open up walls or floors, run drainage CCTV or test electrics, gas or heating systems, so hidden faults still need separate specialist checks. Our job is to identify what can be seen, say how serious it looks, and tell you what to do next.

• No lifting of carpets
• No opening up walls or floors
• No drainage CCTV
• No testing of electrics, gas or heating systems

Solihull's age profile matters. Detached homes account for 33.7%, semi-detached homes for 39.1%, terraced homes for 12.3% and flats for 14.6%, so the stock is split across several construction types. A lot of the 1945 to 1980 housing around Shirley and Monkspath is cavity wall brick, often red brick, while older homes in Solihull Town Centre can be solid wall or timber framed. That mix is one reason a Level 3 survey is often the safer choice here.

The borough sits on Mercia Mudstone Group, a red, silty mudstone that can shrink and swell with wet and dry spells. On plots with mature trees, especially in parts of Olton and Knowle, we pay close attention to stepped cracking, out-of-plumb brickwork and sticking doors, because those signs can point to movement rather than simple age. The same ground can also make previous repairs fail if they were only patched rather than properly dealt with.

Flooding is part of the local picture as well. The River Blythe and the River Cole bring fluvial risk, while surface water can sit on urban plots after heavy rain. Conservation controls in Solihull Town Centre, Knowle, Dorridge, Hampton-in-Arden and Olton mean repairs may need matching brick, tile or timber work, so the report needs to be clear about what can be repaired like for like and what may need consent.

The defects we flag most often in older Solihull stock are straightforward but important. Damp, worn roof coverings, timber decay and foundation movement can all sit behind what first looks like a small patch or crack.

• Rising damp and penetrating damp
• Worn roof tiles and failed flashing
• Timber decay and woodworm
• Subsidence or heave linked to Mercia Mudstone