Condition ratings
Condensation on the glass in winter is described. Have the plaster walls been rated 3 for rising damp?
No. Condensation described on the glass in winter has not rated the plaster walls as 3 for rising damp. The water is on the pane, in cold weather, which is a glazing and ventilation observation. Plaster is a different surface. A tide mark, salts, or a high reading on the wall would be the wall's evidence. Do not move a misted window onto the plaster.
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?
Condensation on glass in winter is moisture from the room air landing on a cold pane. It is a comment on the glazing and on how the room is ventilated and heated, not a diagnosis of rising damp in the plaster. Rising damp, if the surveyor makes that finding, belongs to a low part of a wall. Rating 3 would mean that wall element is serious, urgent, or both. A misted window does not supply it. The glass may have no condition rating at all, or it may be rating 1 if no repair is currently needed, or rating 2 if the frames or the ventilation need ordinary attention. None of those is a plaster rating.
Do not write rising damp into a question to the seller because the report mentioned winter condensation. The what to do now note advises you about ratings that exist. It does not invoice anyone to inject a wall. Plaster behind furniture, and the cavity behind the plaster, were not proved by a look at the glass, and concealed parts are not guaranteed sound. They were also not rated 3. If the report is silent on the walls, the walls have not been given this number. Ask whether any wall was actually tested or described, and leave the panes in the sentence where they were found.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the condensation comment about the glass only?
- Did any plaster wall receive a damp rating?
- Are you using the words rising damp anywhere in this section?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the winter condensation on the glass.
- Do not describe the plaster as rating 3 for rising damp.
- Ask which walls, if any, were given a damp comment at all.
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 misted glass still be rating 2 for the frames?
Yes, if the frames need a repair that is not serious or urgent. That rating is the frames, not the plaster.
If mould is on the reveal as well, is that the glass note?
The reveal is the wall at the opening. Ask whether it has its own comment. Do not assume it is rising damp.