Age and type of house
The upstand of a concrete balcony on one ex-local flat is cracked. What can that flat's survey not say about the neighbours' balconies?
It cannot say the neighbours' balconies are cracked or sound. The upstand on this ex-local flat is the concrete lip of this balcony. A crack there is a finding for this flat. The surveyor did not visit the other homes, and a flat inspection does not inspect the block's external wall system. A similar decade does not copy the crack along the estate. Reinforcement in the other slabs was not seen, so their balconies stay outside this report.
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 upstand is the raised edge that stops water and feet, often concrete cast with the slab or added later. Cracks, blown arrises and rust stains on this edge tell you about this edge. They do not tell you about the balcony two doors down, which may have been repaired, covered or built differently. The surveyor looked from this flat, perhaps from the window and the doorway, not from the neighbours' rooms. Binoculars on the street are still not an inspection of those slabs. The block's external wall system is not part of a single-flat visit.
Use the crack, if it is serious or urgent, to get written quotes for this balcony before you commit. Do not multiply that quote by the number of flats, and do not relax because a neighbour's balcony looks freshly painted from the pavement. Paint is not a survey. If a manager has a block report, your solicitor can ask for it. That is a different document. Do not rename this upstand as RAAC or as any system panel unless this survey actually identified that material. Here the finding is a cracked upstand on one flat, and the neighbours remain uninspected.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the crack limited to this upstand, and did you see any other balcony at close range?
- Are you keeping the neighbours' balconies outside the findings?
- Did you identify the concrete, or only record the crack in this upstand?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get quotes for this balcony if the crack is rated serious or urgent.
- Do not claim the neighbours' balconies match it.
- Ask your solicitor for any block report. Do not treat this visit as that report.
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 neighbour's balcony looks the same from the street, has it been surveyed?
No. A similar outline is not an inspection. This report covers the flat that was entered.
Does the crack name the slab as a particular concrete product?
No. A crack describes damage. It does not identify RAAC or any other product unless that identification was actually made.