Wall ties and cavity insulation
Plastic caps from an old borescope survey are still in the mortar. Has this home survey repeated that tie inspection?
No. This home survey has not repeated the tie inspection. Plastic caps in the mortar show that someone bored the wall in the past. They do not show that a camera was used on this visit. The surveyor did not borescope the cavity and did not report a new view of the ties, the insulation or the cavity width. Old caps can sit over holes for years. They are not a current test. What the earlier person saw is unknown unless that report is in the pack. This inspection records the caps only.
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?
A borescope inspection uses small holes so a camera can see wall ties and the cavity. The caps mark those holes. They do not keep the pictures. Ties can be corroded, too few, or lost in debris, and none of that is visible through a plastic cap. Counting caps is not counting sound ties. A home survey does not claim a tie test it did not carry out. Even if you later find the old report, it may be out of date. The caps alone do not renew it.
Ask the seller for the old borescope report, its date and any specification for replacement ties. Your solicitor can put that paper with the pack. It is still not a finding of this visit. If the current report asks for a further tie inspection, that further look has not happened. Tell a lender the caps show old holes, not a tie survey finished today. Commission a new borescope only if you need a present view of the ties.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How many caps were seen, and on which elevations?
- Does this report ask for a new borescope, or only note the old caps?
- Is the earlier tie report enclosed, or only implied by the caps?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the caps as marks of a past inspection, not as this survey's test.
- Ask the seller for the old borescope report and its date.
- If the ties must be judged now, instruct a borescope this visit did not carry out.
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
Do the caps mean the wall ties were replaced?
Not by themselves. Caps cover inspection holes. Replacement ties usually leave a different pattern of fixings, and those fixings still need the specification. The survey has not said the ties were renewed and has not said they failed. Find the old report before you infer a repair from plastic dots in the mortar.
Can you pull a cap out and look into the hole?
Do not turn the visit into an improvised cavity inspection. Pulling caps and peering in is not a borescope survey and can drop debris into the cavity. This visit left the caps in place. If a camera inspection is required, instruct someone equipped to do it and to make the holes good afterwards.