Wall ties and cavity insulation
The lender asks whether the wall ties were tested. Why is a look at the outer leaf not that test?
A look at the outer leaf is not a wall-tie test. The lender asks whether the ties were tested, and on this visit they were not: the surveyor looked at the outside face and did not use a tie detector, did not open the cavity, and did not report a count or a condition of ties. Cracking or a bulge in the outer leaf can suggest trouble, but those signs are not the test the lender is asking about. The survey has not decided the ties are sound or failed. It has only recorded the surface.
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?
A tie test is a specific look for the metal that joins the two leaves, usually with equipment that finds ties in the cavity or with openings that show them. Seeing bricks, mortar and a straight elevation does not do that work. The outer leaf can look calm while ties are rusting, and it can look cracked for reasons that are not ties at all. This report must not be rewritten as the test. The honest answer from the visit is that the test was not done.
Reply to the lender that the home survey did not test the wall ties, and that a look at the outer leaf is all the wall received. If they still want a test, instruct a specialist and send that separate report to them. Do not let anyone stamp the survey as a tie survey. The surface note can stay. The test result does not exist.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the wall ties tested, or was only the outer leaf seen?
- Did the visit use a detector or open the cavity?
- Is cracking being offered to the lender as a tie-test result?
What are the typical next steps?
- Tell the lender the ties were not tested.
- Keep the outer-leaf note separate from a tie test.
- Instruct a specialist only if a real tie test is required.
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 straight elevation mean the ties are present?
No. A straight outer leaf is a surface impression. It does not count the ties, name the metal, or show corrosion in the cavity. This visit did not test the ties. Presence and condition stay unknown. Do not answer the lender's question with the elevation. Answer it by saying the test was not done.
Can the surveyor add a tie result without a further visit?
No. A result needs a test, and this inspection did not include one. Adding a sentence that the ties passed would invent a finding. If the lender insists, the further visit is a new instruction with its own scope. The present report should continue to say the outer leaf was seen and the ties were not tested.