Non-standard construction
A post-war PRC house is said to have a repair certificate and the certificate was not read. What has the survey not confirmed?
The survey has not confirmed that a repair certificate exists, what it covers, or that the repairs match the concrete. A post-war PRC house is a non-standard precast concrete form. Someone said a certificate exists. It was not read, so the system named, the parts said to be repaired and any concrete left in place were not checked against that document. The visit can describe concrete it could see. It has not sampled the concrete and has not confirmed a completed repair scheme.
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?
PRC houses of that era were built with precast concrete frames or panels, and later repair schemes were documented with certificates that say which system was used and what was done. Without reading the certificate, the surveyor cannot tell a repaired house from a claimed one. Surface coatings, replacement panels or a seller's account are not the certificate. The survey did not open the structure to compare it with a method statement. What remains unconfirmed is the paperwork and the match between paper and building.
Ask the solicitor to obtain the repair certificate and any structural completion letter before you rely on the claim. A lender may want that exact paper, and the survey has not supplied it. If the certificate arrives, a surveyor or engineer can then compare it with the house. That comparison has not happened. Do not tell a lender the PRC repair is confirmed. The words were a claim, and the document was not in the reading.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the repair certificate read against the concrete that is there?
- Has the survey confirmed which repair system, if any, was used?
- Was the concrete sampled, or only seen from the surfaces?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the repair certificate as unread and the repair as unconfirmed.
- Ask the solicitor to obtain the certificate before you rely on it.
- Do not tell a lender the PRC repair has been verified.
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
Did the visit core the concrete to test its condition?
No. A home survey does not core the concrete or run a laboratory test on it. The surveyor could describe what was visible. The certificate that might explain a repair was not read. Condition of hidden concrete, and any match to a repair system, stays unconfirmed. Coring, if someone later wants it, would be a new instruction.
Does a verbal claim of repair replace the unread certificate?
No. The certificate is the document that would name the works. A sentence from the seller is the claim the survey could not check. Until the paper is produced and read, the survey has not confirmed the repair. Pass the request to the solicitor. Do not let the conversation stand in for the certificate.