RAAC

Can a RICS home survey confirm that a panel is RAAC?

It can suspect it from what is visible. Confirmation and the structural condition are what IStructE says a chartered or incorporated structural engineer should determine. RICS home surveys are visual, do not open up the structure as a matter of course, and do not replace that assessment. “Possible RAAC” is a referral, not a finished diagnosis.

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?

The engineer’s guidance is written for engineers quantifying and appraising panels case by case. A surveyor’s photograph of a soffit is the reason to appoint one, if the soffit looks like those panels. If the surveyor could not see a soffit at all, they should say the deck was not identified. That is a limit. Do not fill the limit with the word RAAC for emphasis.

Ask the surveyor what features they saw. Then decide whether to instruct the engineer before exchange. A lender may want that letter. The survey cannot be rewritten into it. There is no fixed fee in the IStructE statement for an assessment. Ask the engineer for a scope: which roofs, what access, what the report will and will not say.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What could you see of the soffit?
Are you saying possible RAAC, or that the deck was not seen?
What instruction do you expect the buyer to give an engineer?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not ask the surveyor to “just put RAAC” so a lender will react.
If the word is already in the report, send it to a structural engineer with the photos.
Agree access with the seller before the engineer visits. A locked riser is not an assessment.

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

Will the engineer always recommend demolition?

IStructE talks about assessment and management, not a single outcome. Wait for the visit. Do not pre-write the conclusion.

Can you rely on the seller’s builder instead?

A builder can price a repair after an assessment. IStructE says the condition is determined by a chartered or incorporated structural engineer. A quote is not that determination.