Age and type of house
A concrete boot lintel sits over a replacement window in a 1950s house. What has the new window not proved about that lintel?
It has not proved the boot lintel is sound or free of a failed bearing. A concrete boot lintel over a replacement window in a 1950s house can stay in place while the window is swapped. New frames, new glass and neat mastic do not expose the lintel toe or the bearings. The surveyor sees the soffit and any crack or rust stain. They do not remove the window. An empty cavity is not itself a defect, and this window does not prove the lintel.
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?
A boot lintel has a toe that projects into the cavity or across the inner leaf, so the load sits in a shape you cannot see once a frame is tight to the opening. Replacing the window often means new plastic or timber in the same hole, with trims that hide the old concrete edge. The survey can see a crack in the soffit, a rust stain from a steel that is part of the boot, and whether the masonry above is disturbed. It cannot measure the bearing by looking at a warranty sticker on the glass. Standard inspection does not remove the frame.
Do not tell a lender the lintel was renewed because the window was. Ask the surveyor whether the boot was seen or only assumed from the age and the soffit. If they could not see it, the limit belongs in the report. An empty cavity elsewhere in a 1950s wall is not a defect on its own and is not evidence about this lintel. If there is a crack or a dropping brick joint above the opening, that is the condition to quote for, before you commit, if the rating says it is serious or urgent. The new window is not that quote.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Could you see the boot, or only the new window and the soffit?
- Is there cracking, rust staining or disturbance above this opening?
- Are you refusing to treat the replacement window as proof the lintel is sound?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not describe the lintel as new because the window is new.
- If the soffit is cracked and rated urgent, get quotes before you commit.
- Keep cavity comments away from this lintel unless the lintel itself was seen.
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 a modern window frame mean the lintel was checked at installation?
The survey cannot know that. It did not watch the installation and it did not remove the frame.
Is a boot lintel the same as a steel angle you can see?
No. The boot's toe is hidden. A visible angle is a different detail and should be named as what it is.