Windows, doors and glazing
One sash cord is broken and the frame is firm. Why is that sash gear rather than a failed window?
It is sash gear because the cord has broken and the frame has not. A sash hangs on cords, pulleys and weights, and one broken cord stops that sash running true. The frame being firm means the survey has not called the joinery of the frame a failure. The defect named is the gear that carries the sash, not a rotten or racked window. The survey has recorded a broken cord and a frame that still feels sound. It has not condemned the whole window, and it has not specified a replacement frame. It has not written a new window into this note.
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?
Sash gear is the moving kit: the cord, the pulley, the weight and the parting that lets the sash slide. A cord fails by wear or a break, and the sash then drops, jams or will not stay up. That can happen in a frame that is still square and firm under hand pressure. A failed window would be a frame that has decayed, distorted or lost its fixing to the opening. The survey separated those findings. It called the cord. It did not call the frame.
Ask a joiner to deal with the broken cord and its weight as sash gear, and to say whether the other cords on that window are near the same point. Keep that conversation apart from any idea that the frame must be scrapped. Tell the solicitor the survey has not condemned the frame. The report records a broken cord in a firm frame. It has not written a specification for a replacement window, and it should not be read as one.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which sash has the broken cord, and was the frame left as firm?
- Did you treat this as sash gear rather than a failed frame?
- Were the other cords on that window noted, or only this break?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the note as a broken sash cord, not a failed frame.
- Ask a joiner to deal with the sash gear.
- Do not replace the frame on the strength of this cord alone.
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 sash will not stay open, has the frame failed?
Not on this note. A sash that will not stay open is what a broken cord does: the weight no longer holds it. The survey found the frame firm and called the gear. A window that will not stay up is not the same finding as a failed frame. The frame was not the piece the report condemned.
Should both sashes be scrapped because one cord has gone?
Not because of this sentence. One cord has broken and the frame is firm. The survey has not condemned the other sash or the frame around it. A joiner can renew gear without scrapping the window. The report has not specified a pair of new sashes.