RAAC

The porch roof is a single plank the surveyor says may be RAAC and no sample was taken. What investigation has been deferred?

The investigation that has been deferred is any proper look at the plank, including sampling. The porch roof is a single plank the surveyor says may be RAAC, and no sample was taken. RAAC is a form of concrete panel that IStructE says needs investigation. The survey has not investigated this plank and has not sampled it. A possible identification is not that investigation. Sampling was the step this visit left undone.

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 porch roof of one panel is a small area, but the limit is the same as on a larger deck: the home survey did not cut a sample and did not complete the investigation a structural engineer would make where this material is suspected. IStructE points that investigation at competent structural people when RAAC may be present. This visit stopped at a visual caution. It did not define the chemistry of the plank beyond that need to investigate.

Ask a chartered or incorporated structural engineer to investigate the plank if the surveyor has said it may be RAAC, and do not tell a lender the porch has been sampled. Tell the solicitor the investigation was deferred. The home survey will not become that investigation by being reread. Until someone competent has looked properly, the plank remains uninvestigated. Do not fill that gap with a guess.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Was no sample taken from the porch plank?
Have you deferred investigation rather than confirming the plank?
Are you describing RAAC only as a concrete panel that needs investigation?

What are the typical next steps?

Treat the porch plank as not investigated and not sampled.
Ask a structural engineer to investigate if RAAC is suspected.
Do not tell a lender the plank has been cleared.

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 plank is small, can sampling be skipped?

No. Size does not replace a sample. The survey has not investigated the plank and has not taken one. A single porch panel that may be RAAC still needs the investigation that was deferred. The porch plank is still unsampled.

Does a felt covering prove the plank is ordinary concrete?

No. Felt hides the deck. The surveyor has said the plank may be RAAC and has not sampled it. Covering is not a test, and the investigation remains deferred. Felt is not an investigation, and the concrete panel stays unsampled.