Non-standard construction
The lender has asked what an Orlit house is. Does the home survey answer the lender's lending criteria, or only describe the construction?
It only describes the construction, not the lending rule. The home survey does not answer the lender's lending criteria for an Orlit house. It can say what Orlit construction is, as far as the visit could see: a precast reinforced-concrete system, with the limits of that look. Whether this lender will accept it, and on what terms, is the lender's decision. The report contains no criteria, and it should not be asked to invent them.
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?
An Orlit house is a named non-standard concrete system. Lenders ask what that means because the name is not ordinary brick. The useful answer from the survey is the description: what was visible, what was covered, and what was not proved. Lending criteria live with the lender. They can change, and they are not printed in the inspection. Passing the survey off as the lender's rule would mix two documents that do different jobs.
Send the construction description to the lender or the broker and let them apply their own criteria. Ask your solicitor to pass the same words, without adding a system the report did not confirm and without promising an outcome. If the survey hedged the identification, keep the hedge. Do not upgrade Orlit from a description into an acceptance. The home survey has not valued the security and has not made the lending decision.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What features did you see that led you to name Orlit?
- Which parts of the frame or panels were hidden?
- Are you describing construction only, and not a lender's criteria?
What are the typical next steps?
- Give the lender the survey's description, not an invented criterion.
- Do not add a lending outcome the report does not contain.
- Keep any uncertainty about the system name exactly as written.
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 survey names Orlit clearly, will the lender accept the house?
Not as an automatic result. A clear name helps the lender ask the right question. Acceptance is still their criteria, which this survey does not set and does not know. Naming the system is not the lender's acceptance of this house.
Can the broker turn the survey into a lending answer?
No. The broker can pass the description to the lender. They cannot turn a condition report into the lender's rule. The survey only describes the construction. Lending criteria stay with the lender, and this survey has not written them down.