Windows, doors and glazing
Is a quadrant stay, together with a fitch fastener, any evidence on a casement stay arm that is bent, or only a note of what was visible?
It is only a note of what was visible, not evidence that explains a bent casement stay arm. A quadrant stay is the arm that runs in a quarter-circle track. A fitch fastener is a two-part casement fastener. Naming them records the ironmongery. It does not show why a stay arm is bent, does not load-test the arm, and does not test the fastener. The survey has not decided the stay has failed, and it has not specified new ironmongery.
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?
A quadrant stay holds a casement open. A bent arm may have been forced, or the stay may have been used as a handle. The bend is a shape in the metal. A fitch fastener only holds the casement shut, and it was not shown to explain that shape. The visit did not load the arm, did not check the pivot, and did not decide that the bend stops the window staying open.
Tell the solicitor the quadrant stay and the fitch fastener are a visual note, not a diagnosis of the bent arm. A joiner can ease or replace the stay if it no longer holds the casement, as ordinary ironmongery work. The home survey has not ordered that. The lender has no test of the arm. Do not replace the fastener because the stay is bent. They stay separate notes.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the quadrant stay and the fitch fastener only seen, not load-tested?
- Has the bent stay arm been left without a cause?
- Did you avoid treating the fastener as proof about the arm?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the stay and the fastener as visible ironmongery.
- Ask a joiner about the bent arm only if the casement will not hold.
- Tell the solicitor the arm was not load-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 a bent stay arm stop the fitch fastener working?
Not on this note. The fastener shuts the casement. The stay holds it open. A bend in the arm was not tested against the fastener, and the survey did not say one disables the other. They were named together as hardware. That is not a finding that the window will not latch.
If the quadrant track is complete, is the arm straight enough?
The survey has not measured that. A complete track shows the stay's runway is there. It does not measure a bend in the arm and it does not load the pivot. The report's hardware note is not a straightness test. The arm stays undescribed as a measured shape.