Condition ratings
A hairline crack in the render runs down the side elevation only. Has every wall of the house been rated 3?
No. A hairline crack in the render on the side elevation only has not rated every wall of the house as 3. That crack is one line in one coat on one face. Other elevations can be unmarked, or marked more mildly, if the surveyor found nothing comparable. Do not export a hairline on the flank onto the front, the rear, or the party wall.
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?
Render is a coat on that elevation. A hairline is a fine crack in the coat, not a statement that the masonry of every wall has failed. Rating 3 is serious, urgent, or both, and it brings written quotations before legal commitment. A hairline that the surveyor does not call serious will not be rating 3 at all. It may be rating 1, no repair currently needed beyond normal maintenance, or rating 2 if a local repair of the coat is needed but is not urgent. Whichever it is, it belongs to the side elevation the paragraph names.
Other faces are other elements. A fair front, a rear extension, and a party wall do not inherit a flank crack. The what to do now note advises you about the element that was actually rated. It does not invoice the seller to re-render the house. Hollow render, if it was tapped and found, would be a further observation on that same coat, still not a house-wide rating. Where the surveyor could not see behind the render, the substrate is concealed and is not guaranteed sound, so rating 1 on a hairline coat is not a certificate of the brick behind it. Keep the crack where it was drawn.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which elevation carries this hairline, and what rating did it get?
- Were the other walls given their own ratings?
- Is the crack only in the render, or does it continue into the masonry?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the hairline on the side elevation named in the report.
- Do not tell the seller every wall is rating 3.
- Ask whether the coat needs local repair or only watching as maintenance.
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 hairline is rating 1, do the other walls pass as well?
No. Each face has its own look. Rating 1 on one coat does not rate the rest of the house.
Does render on a rear extension share this crack's number?
Only if the report says the same crack, or the same defect, is there. An extension is often a separate wall.