Electrics and gas
Flexible hoses at the outdoor unit are perished. Were they pressure-tested, or only looked at?
They were only looked at. Nothing on the circuit was pressurised. Flexible hoses at the outdoor unit are perished, and that is a visual note of cracking, softening or wear the eye could see. They were not pressure-tested. The visit did not prove a leak, measure remaining life, or test the refrigerant circuit. The survey records deteriorated hoses. It has not decided how close they are to failing and has not signed the circuit off as tight.
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?
Flexible hoses take movement and weather at the outdoor unit, and the outer cover can perish while the surveyor is still not entitled to pressurise the system. A home survey does not handle refrigerant and does not carry out a pressure test unless that test was agreed and is written up as done. Here it was not. Approved Document L is energy-performance guidance for building work. Looking at a perished hose does not issue a building-regulations certificate and does not test efficiency.
Ask a specialist to inspect and, if appropriate, test or replace the hoses, and give that report to the solicitor separately. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant route in England and Wales toward a heat pump or biomass boiler, not in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This survey has not decided eligibility and has not quoted a grant. Do not invent a noise limit or a boundary distance for the outdoor unit. The finding is the perished hoses, seen and not pressure-tested.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which hoses at the outdoor unit are described as perished?
- What test does the report say was not carried out?
- Does the note claim a leak, or only a visual defect?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the hoses as looked at, not pressure-tested.
- Ask a specialist to inspect them before you rely on the circuit.
- Do not describe the refrigerant circuit as tested.
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 surface cracking prove refrigerant has already escaped?
No. Surface cracking shows the hose cover has perished where it could be seen. It does not prove refrigerant has escaped, and no pressure test was done. The survey did not test the circuit. A specialist has to say whether the hoses still hold. The report stops at the visual defect.
Has the survey set how close the unit may stand to a boundary?
No. The survey has not set a boundary distance or a noise limit for the outdoor unit, and it must not invent either. The hoses were looked at and found perished. They were not pressure-tested. Position and sound are separate questions this visit has not decided.