Timber decay and woodworm
Flight holes are in one stair string and the treads look clean. Why should the treads not be condemned with that string?
The treads should not be condemned with that string because they look clean and the flight holes are in the string. The survey has recorded holes in one stair string and treads that did not show the same attack. It has not called the treads wormed or decayed, and it has not opened either the string or the treads. Flight holes can be old exits left after the insects have gone. Holes in one piece are not a finding about the next piece. Condemning the treads would write up timber the inspection did not call.
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 stair string is the sloping board that carries the ends of the treads. Wood-boring insects leave small flight holes where adults emerge, and those holes remain after the insects have gone. Clean treads, with no matching holes and no crumbly surface, are a different observation. The survey looked at both. It did not probe every tread, lift a fixed covering, or decide that holes in the string mean the treads are infested. Treating the whole flight as condemned would go beyond the note that was written.
If you need to know whether the attack is current, ask a timber specialist to look at the string and to say whether the treads need anything at all. That is a further inspection. Tell the solicitor the survey did not condemn the treads. The Property Care Association discusses insect damage and decay in timber. This report has not specified treatment of the whole stair, and it has not called the holes active. Keep the string and the treads apart until there is a reason to join them.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which stair string carries the flight holes?
- Did the treads look clean, and were they left uncondemned?
- Have you avoided calling those holes active?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the flight-hole note on the one stair string.
- Do not condemn the clean treads along with it.
- Ask a timber specialist if you need to know whether the attack is current.
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 flight holes mean insects are still in the stair?
Not by themselves. Flight holes remain after the insects have left, and the survey has not called these holes active. It recorded holes in one string and clean treads. Fresh bore dust, or a specialist view, would be needed before anyone called the attack current. The report has not supplied that evidence.
If one string has holes, are the other strings the same?
The survey has not said so. The holes were in one string. The other strings were not written up with it, and the treads looked clean. Assuming the whole stair matches one piece goes past the inspection. A specialist can look further. This note does not make that leap.