RICS Level 3 Building Survey Tamworth

A Level 3 survey is a visual inspection of the accessible parts of the property, carried out to a deeper standard than a Level 2 report. We look at construction, materials, defects, repairs, maintenance priorities and the likely consequences of not dealing with problems. On a terrace near Aldergate or a detached house in Amington, that can mean checking how the roof covers the building, whether the walls show movement, and whether damp or decay is already affecting joists, floor timbers or plaster.

Our surveyors do not open up the fabric, lift carpets, carry out drainage CCTV, or test services as part of the inspection. We do not force entry into hidden areas either. If a Tamworth property on Lichfield Road shows signs of movement, sagging, heavy cracking or failed waterproofing, we will explain the issue and may recommend a specialist follow-up, usually a structural engineer, damp specialist, electrician, gas engineer or drainage contractor.

Repairs matter because small defects travel. A slipped tile on a house near the River Tame can admit water into the loft, then into timbers, insulation and ceilings. A blocked gutter beside a bay window in Glascote can feed damp into masonry and timber ends, while ignored cracks in pointing or render can let frost and moisture keep working on the wall through winter.

• Visual inspection of all accessible parts
• Comments on construction and materials
• Advice on defects, repairs and maintenance priorities
• Explanation of the likely consequences if repair is delayed

Tamworth's older stock is built from a mix of brick, painted brick, stuccoed brick, slate and tile, with stone dressings and timber-framed cores appearing in some older properties. That matters because each material fails in its own way. Around the historic core near Tamworth Castle and the Church of St Editha, we often see the kind of issues that come with age, damp, failed pointing, roof wear, chimney problems and timber decay where previous repairs have been pieced together over time.

The ground under Staffordshire is not uniform either. The Salop and Hopwas Breccia formations, the Etruria Formation and the Halesowen Formation all affect how buildings behave, and a specific site within Tamworth at coordinates 420220, 296661 has been assessed with a Very Low shrink-swell hazard rating because the ground is mainly low plasticity. That said, buyers still need to think about clay movement, shallow foundations and local soil behaviour, especially where bay windows, rear additions or old boundary walls have been built onto earlier plots.

Flooding also changes the inspection brief. The River Tame at Lichfield Road is a Flood Warning Area, the River Anker at Amington covers places including Shuttington Road, Amington Old Hall, Amington Park, Filey, Selker Drive and Whitley Avenue, and the Kettle Brook affects the Belgrave Ward. A Lower Tame flood risk management scheme, including the Fazeley section, was completed in 2014 and reduced flood risk to 250 properties, but surface water flooding still matters in parts of Amington, with 920 properties identified at risk in 2015 and sewer flooding incidents recorded across Tamworth.

• Victorian damp and cellar issues near the historic core
• Edwardian bay-window movement where foundations are shallow or the ground has moved
• 1930s solid-floor and brickwork problems in older suburbs
• 1960s and 1970s flat-roof failure, poor falls and ageing extensions