Non-standard construction
What should you ask if concrete panels are cracked on a house that was supposedly repaired?
Ask whether the repair certificate, if there is one, covers this address and these panels, and whether the cracks are in the original concrete or in a later coating. A certificate is not a promise that the concrete cannot deteriorate afterwards. A visual survey cannot see reinforcement behind a coating.
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?
Licensed repair schemes, where they were used, were specific to the system and to the properties signed off. A scheme for a different system, or a lapsed intention to repair, is not a certificate. The surveyor may see cracks, spalling or exposed aggregate. They should say so, and they should say if a coating stopped them seeing the concrete. Your solicitor asks for the paper. A concrete specialist, if you need one, asks to see the concrete.
Do not fill the cracks to satisfy a valuation before anyone has said what they are. If the lender wants a specialist report, get the scope from the lender so you do not pay for the wrong test. Costs vary. RICS does not publish a fee for concrete testing in the consumer guide.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are the cracks in concrete, in render, or in a coating you could not see behind?
- Does anything on site confirm a past repair, or is that only the seller’s account?
- What further inspection would the construction justify?
What are the typical next steps?
- Match any certificate to the address and the system before you rely on it.
- Tell the lender about the cracks and the certificate together, not one of them.
- Do not coat the panels again to tidy a valuation photograph.
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 brick skin count as a licensed repair?
Only if the certificate says that is the repair that was signed off. A skin built later by a local builder may be cladding, not the scheme.
Are all panel cracks structural?
No. Some are in coatings. You cannot know which until the layer is identified. The survey may already have said it could not identify them.