Windows, doors and glazing
If there is no window certificate, has the survey already decided the frames are defective?
No. The absence of a certificate is a paperwork gap for your solicitor. A defect is rot, a failed seal, a distorted opening or rain coming in, and only if the surveyor could see it. GOV.UK’s competent-person route and a building-regulations application are both ways work can have been approved. Older replacements may predate the paper you asked for.
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?
Read the windows section for condition words, not for a logo. Misted glass, soft timber and daylight at the frame are condition. A silent line, or NI, means those openings were not given a clean bill of health either. Ask which ones were opened and which were painted shut.
Do not let a contractor turn “no FENSA” into a quote to replace the whole elevation. There is no national window price in the RICS consumer guide. If you need a number, price the failed openings and ask whether the reveal and the cill are included. The regulations question stays with the solicitor.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which windows did you actually open, and which are only described from inside?
- Is any rating about condition, or have you only noted that they look replaced?
- What should the solicitor request, as against what a joiner should look at?
What are the typical next steps?
- Separate the solicitor’s list from the joiner’s list before you talk about price.
- Photograph misting and soft timber. A missing PDF does not show in a photo.
- If the rating is 3 on a frame, get a quote for that frame. Do not average it across the house.
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
Is a building-control completion certificate as good as a scheme certificate?
It is the other route GOV.UK describes. Your solicitor says whether what you have is the right paper for that date. The survey still only speaks to condition.
Should you withhold the whole price until a certificate appears?
That is a contract question, not a condition rating. Ask your solicitor before you treat paperwork as if it were rot.