Windows, doors and glazing
A sash will not stay open and the pocket shows a missing weight. Why is that sash gear, not a failed frame?
That is sash gear, not a failed frame. The sash will not stay open and the pocket shows a missing weight, so the balance that should hold the sash has gone. A missing weight, or the cord that should carry it, is ironmongery in the box frame. The survey has seen the empty pocket. It has not condemned the stile or the cill, and a sash that will not stay up is not, by itself, a rotten frame.
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 windows hang on cords, pulleys and weights hidden in the pockets. When a weight is missing the sash drops or will not stay, even if the timber is sound. The frame can of course be decayed as well, but this note is the pocket. The survey looked there and found the weight gone. It did not say the pulley stiles have failed, and it did not test the glass or the meeting rails beyond the fact the sash will not stay open.
Ask a sash joiner to replace the missing weight and to check the cord and pulley, which is sash gear rather than a new frame. Tell the solicitor the survey has not called the frame failed. If other notes describe rot in the cill or the box, keep those separate. This question is the weight that is not in the pocket.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the pocket show a missing weight rather than a broken stile?
- Will the sash not stay open for that reason?
- Have you left the frame itself uncondemned?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the missing weight as sash gear, not a failed frame.
- Ask a sash joiner to reinstate the weight, cord and pulley.
- Do not specify a new frame from an empty pocket 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 cord is also frayed, has the frame failed?
A frayed cord is still sash gear. It lives in the same pocket as the weight. The survey has not called the frame failed because the balance is missing, and a worn cord does not change that into rotten timber.
Does a sash that drops mean the glass has failed?
No. Dropping means the balance is not holding the sash. The pocket shows a missing weight. The survey has not reported a failed glass unit from that movement, and it has not condemned the frame. Gear and glass are different parts.