Wall ties and cavity insulation
Remedial resin ties are in one wall and several washers are missing. Has any tie been pull-tested?
No tie has been pull-tested. Remedial resin ties are visible in one wall and several washers are missing, which is a record of fittings the survey could see. A pull test is a separate trial of whether a tie holds in the masonry. Missing washers mean those plates were not there. They do not prove the resin bond, the depth in the wall or the state of any other elevation. The survey has not tested the ties. It has noted an incomplete-looking set on one wall only.
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?
Resin remedial ties are bonded into the masonry, and a washer or plate at the face is part of what you can see of that repair. Where washers are absent, the surveyor can say the visible fitting is incomplete. The bond inside the hole is hidden. A pull test loads a tie to see if it holds, and no such load was applied. Other walls may have no remedial ties at all. One elevation with a few bare ends is not a survey of the whole cavity-tie system.
Tell the solicitor that remedial ties were seen on one wall, that washers were missing and that no pull test was done. A wall-tie specialist can test and complete a remedial scheme if you instruct them. The survey has not appointed that firm and has not passed the ties. Do not tell a lender the wall is tied because resin fittings were noticed. Ask for any guarantee of the earlier repair, and treat it as unread until it is in the pack.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was any resin tie pull-tested on this visit?
- Do missing washers show the bond inside the wall?
- Were remedial ties recorded on more than one wall?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the ties as seen fittings, not as a pull-tested system.
- Tell the solicitor washers were missing and no test was done.
- Instruct a wall-tie specialist if the ties must be proved.
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
Do missing washers prove the resin bond has failed?
No. A missing washer is a missing face plate. The resin bond, if any, is inside the masonry and was not tested. The survey cannot see that bond and did not pull the tie. Failure is one possibility, not a result. Other causes include an unfinished fitting. The report stops at what was missing on the face of one wall.
Were the other elevations checked for the same remedial ties?
The note is one wall. Other elevations were not described as carrying the same resin ties, and none of them was pull-tested either. Absence of a note is not a certificate that those walls are soundly tied. Original ties can fail out of sight. The survey has not tested wall ties anywhere on the house.