Age and type of house
Where a report pairs balusters with a winder, what stays open about gaps a child could pass?
What stays open is the size of the gaps, and what they mean, where balusters meet a winder. Balusters are the spindles. A winder is the tapered tread that turns the stair. On that taper the space between spindles can change from one end of the tread to the other. The survey paired the two. It has not measured each opening, has not applied a child-safety rule as a pass or fail, and has not decided the stair is unsafe.
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?
On a straight flight, balusters are often spaced fairly evenly. On a winder the tread is narrow at the newel and wide at the wall, so the gap can open at the broad end. The survey can see that the pattern looks generous. It did not gauge every opening, and it did not turn a look into a regulation result. No gap was sized. The concern is not a completed measurement.
Tell the solicitor the balusters and the winder were described, and that no gap was measured and no safety rule was applied. A joiner can check the spacing if you want that done properly. The home survey has not ordered extra balusters and has not passed the stair. The lender has the same visual limit. Do not treat the note as a failed test, because no test of the gaps was carried out.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the gaps on the winder left unmeasured?
- Did you avoid applying a child-safety rule as a pass or fail?
- Is the pairing of balusters and winder only a visual note?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave the gaps on the winder unmeasured and undecided.
- Ask a joiner to check spacing if you need each opening sized.
- Tell the solicitor no safety rule was applied to the stair.
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
Does an even gap on the straight flight clear the winder?
No. The straight flight is a different tread. The winder narrows, so the same baluster pattern can open up at the wide end. The survey did not measure either flight as a test. An even stretch of spindles elsewhere does not pass the turning tread. The gaps on the winder stay open as a question.
If a child uses the stair now, has the gap been accepted?
No. How the household uses the stair is not a survey measurement and not a decision in the report. The visit paired balusters with a winder and did not size the openings. Present use does not pass the gaps and does not fail them. That judgement was not made.