Windows, doors and glazing
An egress hinge on a bedroom window is painted over. Has the clear opening been measured?
No. The clear opening has not been measured. An egress hinge on a bedroom window is painted over, so the survey could see that paint is clogging the ironmongery. It did not free the hinge, did not swing the window through an escape position, and did not measure the clear opening that would remain. Escape from a bedroom is a building-regulations question. The survey does not issue that certificate and has not checked this window against it. Painted ironmongery is a condition note. It is not a measured opening.
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?
Egress hinges are meant to let a window open wide enough to be a way out. Paint across the knuckle can lock that movement, or simply look as if it might. The survey records the paint. It does not chip it off, and it does not put a tape across the opening the sash never reached. Furniture, a restrictor, or a swollen frame can reduce the opening further, and none of that was measured either. The note stops at a hinge that has been painted over.
Ask the solicitor whether any building-regulations paper for the windows is in the pack. This survey has not issued a certificate and has not measured the opening. Do not tell a lender the bedroom has a proved escape opening. If the hinge has to be freed and the opening checked, that is later work, not a revision of this sentence. The paint is the finding. The width is still unknown.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the clear opening of the bedroom window measured?
- Did the visit free the painted hinge and swing the sash?
- Has this survey issued a building-regulations certificate?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the escape opening as unmeasured.
- Ask the solicitor for any window compliance papers.
- Do not describe painted ironmongery as a proved exit.
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 window that opens a crack count as checked?
No. A crack of opening shows the sash is not completely sealed shut. It does not measure the clear opening an egress hinge is there to provide, and the hinge is painted over. The survey did not swing it fully. Ask for a proper check if escape matters. A little movement is not the measurement.
Are restrictors the same defect as the painted hinge?
Not necessarily. A restrictor is a device that limits opening, and it may be deliberate. The painted hinge is ironmongery clogged so the survey could not see it work. The visit did not measure either effect. Do not merge them into one finding. Read whatever the report says about each, and treat the unmeasured opening as still unmeasured.