Age and type of house
A Boot lintel is spalling at one bearing and the brickwork above is still in line. What steel inside that lintel was not exposed?
The steel inside the Boot lintel was not exposed. Spalling at one bearing is the concrete breaking away at that end, which is where corroding steel often first shows, but the survey did not open the lintel to see the bar or the angle. Brickwork above still in line means the wall over the opening has not been recorded as dropped. Alignment is not a view of the metal. The report has noted the spall at one bearing. It has not measured the steel, and it has not said the lintel has failed. The metal remains covered.
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 is a concrete lintel shaped with a toe, and it relies on steel inside the concrete. When that steel rusts it expands and spalls the cover, often at a bearing. Seeing a spall tells you the concrete has let go at that end. It does not show how much steel is left, or whether the rest of the lintel is sound. Straight brick above only says the wall has not shifted yet. The survey left the metal covered.
Ask a structural engineer or a lintel specialist to look at this Boot lintel before anyone opens the spall, and to say whether the steel needs exposing under their instruction. The home survey has not done that. Tell the solicitor the finding is a spall at one bearing with the brickwork still in line, not a proved failure of the steel. Do not open the concrete yourself. The survey left the cover in place.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which bearing of the Boot lintel is spalling?
- Was the steel inside left unexposed?
- Is the brickwork above still in line, with no drop recorded?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the spall as a surface break, not as exposed steel.
- Ask a lintel specialist to advise before the concrete is opened.
- Tell the solicitor the wall above was still in line.
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 only one end is spalling, is the other bearing sound?
Not proved. The survey saw spalling at one bearing and did not expose the steel at either end. The other bearing can look intact and still hide the same metal. Brickwork in line does not grade the hidden bar. The note is the end that has spalled. The unspalled end was not opened and was not given a clean bill.
Does straight brickwork mean the lintel can be left indefinitely?
The survey has not said that. Straight brickwork means no drop was seen above the opening. It does not time how long a spalled Boot lintel can stay, and it does not show the steel. The metal was not exposed. Ask a specialist what the spall means for this lintel. Do not invent a remaining life from alignment alone.