Electrics and gas
Heat-pump condensate drips onto a paved path that slopes back to the wall. What icing and what damp path were not tested out of winter?
Neither icing nor a damp path into the wall was tested out of winter. Heat-pump condensate drips onto a paved path that falls back toward the wall, so the survey can see where the water is put in mild weather. It cannot see ice building on that fall, and it cannot show that the water soaks the wall, because those are cold-weather and moisture questions the visit did not test. The slope was noted. The consequences were not.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
An air-source heat pump produces condensate as it runs. On a path that slopes to the house, that water can sit against the wall, freeze across the paving, or both, once the weather is cold enough. A visit that is not in those conditions cannot run that test. The survey did not hose the path, did not measure moisture in the wall, and did not watch an icing cycle. The drip and the fall are visible facts. They are not a winter trial and not a damp diagnosis.
Ask a heating installer whether the condensate should be taken to a drain or a soakaway away from the wall, and keep icing as a seasonal risk rather than a defect already watched. Tell the solicitor the survey has not tested a damp path. Do not describe the path as flooded or the wall as wet unless the report says that was seen. Here it records the fall and the drip.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where does the heat-pump condensate land, and which way does the path fall?
- Was any icing observed, or was that outside the season of the visit?
- Did you test a damp path into the wall, or only note the slope?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat icing and any damp path as untested out of winter.
- Ask an installer about taking condensate away from the wall.
- Do not upgrade the slope into a damp diagnosis the survey did not make.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the path was dry underfoot, is the wall clear of damp?
A dry path on the day does not test winter icing or a damp path into the wall. The survey saw condensate arranged to drip onto paving that slopes back. It did not measure moisture in the masonry and it did not see ice. Dry shoes are not that test. The fall toward the wall remains the note.
Does the heat pump's energy label deal with this drip?
No. An energy label is about the appliance rating, not about where condensate falls or whether the path ices. The survey did not test icing and did not test a damp route into the wall. Those points sit outside the label. They need the installer to look at the drain of the condensate.