Seller-side surveys
Should a seller fill and paint a crack the weekend before a buyer’s survey?
No. Filling it hides the width and the shape the surveyor needs to see. Tell your solicitor about the crack and leave it visible. A home survey is a visual inspection. Paint over the evidence does not turn the element into a rating 1, and it can leave the buyer with a fresh patch and no way to judge the crack.
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?
Sellers worry that an open crack ‘looks worse’. An open crack can be measured, photographed and, if it is old and stable, explained with dates. A filled crack the weekend before the visit invites the surveyor to say the area is newly decorated and the history is hidden. That is a worse paragraph than a described crack.
If a repair has already been done properly, leave the invoices out for the surveyor and your solicitor. Do not add a cosmetic skim on top of a crack you have never diagnosed. This page does not accuse a seller of fraud. It says concealment makes the inspection less useful and the later argument harder.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- If decoration is new, what could you not see underneath?
- Would you rather see the crack, or a fresh patch?
- What papers would explain a repair that was done earlier?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave cracks visible and tell your solicitor what you know.
- Put any older repair invoices with the solicitor’s papers.
- If you are the buyer and the paint is suspiciously fresh, ask the surveyor what they could not see.
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
Can the surveyor still find a filled crack?
Sometimes, from the patch, the profile or related movement. They cannot measure a crack that is no longer visible. Do not rely on them to see through paint.
Should a seller repair nothing at all before marketing?
Ordinary safety and leaks are a different question from disguising a crack. Ask your solicitor what to disclose. Do not use filler as disclosure.