Age and type of house
A Boot lintel shows a rust stain at one end and the brick above is even. What reinforcement inside that lintel was not exposed?
The reinforcement inside that Boot lintel was not exposed. A rust stain at one end shows that something in or on the lintel is corroding at that point, while the brick above stays even. A Boot lintel is a concrete section with a toe that supports the outer leaf, and steel can sit inside it. The survey has seen the stain and the even brick. It has not opened the concrete, has not found the steel, and has not decided how far any corrosion extends.
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?
Rust staining at the end of a concrete lintel is a clue, not a section through the bar. Water and air at a crack or a stop-end can mark the surface long before anyone knows the condition of the reinforcement. Even brick above means the survey did not see the courses lifting or cracking over that opening. That is a limit on what the masonry is doing now. It is not a clean bill for steel that stayed inside the concrete.
If the stain worries you, ask a structural engineer or a lintel specialist to say whether the Boot needs opening up, and do not treat this report as that opening-up. Tell the solicitor the brick above was even and the interior of the lintel was not exposed. Do not specify a replacement lintel from a stain alone. The survey has not seen the reinforcement it is being asked about.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where is the rust stain on the Boot lintel, and is it only at one end?
- Was the brick above the opening even?
- Did you leave the reinforcement inside the lintel unexposed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the rust stain as a surface clue, not as exposed steel.
- Do not specify a new lintel from the stain alone.
- Ask a specialist if the Boot lintel needs to be opened up.
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 stain is small, is the steel sound?
Size of a stain does not describe the bar inside. The survey has not exposed the reinforcement in this Boot lintel. A small mark can sit over local corrosion, or over very little, and this visit did not decide which.
Does even brick above mean the lintel can be ignored?
Even brick means those courses were not seen to be disturbed. It does not expose the steel. The rust stain is still at one end of the Boot. The survey has not cleared the reinforcement it could not see. The stain remains only a surface clue.