Wall ties and cavity insulation
The house is on the coast and the report mentions possible tie corrosion without opening the cavity. What test has not been done?
The test that has not been done is any inspection of the ties inside the cavity. The house is on the coast and the report mentions possible tie corrosion, but the cavity was not opened and no tie was seen. Coastal air can make corrosion a fair thing to consider. It is not a test. The survey has not found failed ties and has not cleared them. Possible corrosion stays a concern written without a look at the metal.
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 pieces that hold the two leaves together. They sit in the cavity, so rust, loss of section or failure is hidden until the cavity is looked into, often with a borescope at agreed points, or until the wall is opened. Neither happened here. Salt-laden air is context for why the surveyor mentioned the risk. Context does not show the condition of a single tie. Cracks or bowed courses, if present, still need that inspection before they are blamed on the ties.
If you need the ties known, instruct a specialist cavity inspection rather than rereading the coastal sentence. Ask the solicitor to keep any later tie report separate from this survey. A lender may ask for that inspection where the report has left corrosion as only possible. Do not drill the wall yourself. The home survey did not test the ties and cannot be rewritten as if the cavity had been opened.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What wording limits the tie comment to a possibility?
- Where does the report say the cavity was not opened?
- Which signs, if any, are recorded on the outer leaf?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat coastal location as context, not a tie test.
- Instruct a cavity inspection if the ties must be known.
- Do not describe the ties as failed or as cleared.
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
Does rust on a lintel prove the ties have gone?
No. Rust on a lintel is corrosion of that lintel, which may be a different piece of metal. The cavity was not opened and the ties were not seen, so the lintel stain does not test them. The report mentions possible tie corrosion only. A tie inspection is still the test that has not been done.
Can the neighbour’s tie repairs stand in for this cavity?
No. Work next door does not open this cavity and does not show these ties. Coastal houses can share a risk and still differ wall by wall. This survey did not inspect the ties here. Any repair history next door stays that neighbour’s storey, not a result for this house.