Will a home survey tell you that you may replace listed sash windows with plastic?

What is the fuller explanation?

Cadw is the body for listed buildings in Wales, and grades there are still a listing system, not a survey. Scotland’s categories are not the English grades. Do not copy an English consent answer onto another country. Ask the solicitor and the relevant authority.

Repair of a rotten cill may be possible without the wholesale replacement a contractor prefers. There is no RICS price for listed joinery. Get a quote from someone who will work with the consent you actually have, not from a volume uPVC price list.

What should you ask your surveyor?

• Are you describing rot, or advising a material?
• Do you know from the inspection whether the house is listed? If not, say so.
• Which windows are actually failed?

What are the typical next steps?

1. Ask the solicitor whether the house is listed or in a conservation area before you accept a plastic quote.
2. Price repair of the failed sashes as well as replacement, so consent has somewhere to land.
3. Do not start work because the survey felt sympathetic.

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

Which pages should you read next?

• Should a survey of a listed house separate the original fabric from a modern rear extension?
• Can a home survey approve solar panels it can see on a listed roof?
• Can a brick outer leaf hide a steel or concrete frame from a visual survey?
• Guide: What does listing mean for a home survey?
• All UK home survey questions

Sources

• Historic England: Understanding list entries (grades, and that the whole building is listed)
• Historic England: Local heritage lists and area designations, including conservation areas