Condition ratings
Wall ties are suspected and the cavity was not opened. Can that wall still be written as rating 1?
No. Wall ties that are only suspected, where the cavity was not opened, cannot honestly be written as rating 1. Rating 1 would say no repair is currently needed, and nobody looked at the ties. The outer leaf that was seen can still be described. The ties themselves stay unseen. Unseen metal in a closed cavity is not a clean bill, and it should not be recorded as one.
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?
Wall ties are the metal links in the cavity. Suspecting them, from a bulge, from horizontal cracking, or from the age and exposure of the wall, is not the same as seeing them. The cavity was not opened, so the ties were not inspected. NI is the honest mark for what was not inspected, and NI is not rating 1. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed. Using it for unseen ties would pretend a judgement that was not made. The outer leaf, if it was seen and needs nothing now, can still be described in its own words, but the suspicion has to stay visible as a suspicion, not be washed out by a 1.
If the visible leaf is distorted enough that the surveyor calls it serious or urgent, that leaf can be rating 3 even though the ties were not seen, and rating 3 means written quotations before legal commitment. The what to do now note advises you. It does not invoice the seller for a tie replacement that has not been confirmed, and it does not prove the ties failed. Concealed metal is not guaranteed sound, and it is not guaranteed failed. A bore or an opening-up, if you need it before you commit, is a further instruction with the owner's permission. Until then, do not tell the lender the ties passed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are the ties NI, or have they been given rating 1?
- What on the outer leaf made you suspect the ties?
- Does the visible wall have its own rating, separate from the unseen metal?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not read suspected ties as rating 1.
- Ask the surveyor to mark the unopened cavity as not inspected.
- Commission opening-up only if you need it before you commit.
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
Can the outer leaf be rating 2 while the ties stay NI?
Yes. A repair to what was seen can be rating 2. The ties that were not seen remain not inspected.
Does a fair face with no bulge clear the ties?
No. A fair face is the face. Ties in a closed cavity were still not inspected.