Surveying a 1960s or 1970s House: Defects and Which Survey to Choose

A 1970s house survey, or a survey on a 1960s house, is often assumed to be a formality because the property is "modern". In practice, homes built between about 1960 and 1980 have their own distinct set of defects: felt-covered flat roofs that are now decades past their design life, Artex and other asbestos-containing materials, cavity walls with early insulation, concrete ground floors on questionable hardcore, pitch-fibre drains and original wiring. Most are sound, affordable family homes, but a surveyor who knows the period will look in very specific places. This guide explains what those are, and how to decide between a Level 2 HomeBuyer survey and a Level 3 Building Survey.

How 1960s and 1970s houses were built

The typical post-war estate house is a semi-detached or short-terrace home with cavity walls, often a brick outer leaf and a lightweight concrete block inner leaf, under a shallow-pitched roof of concrete interlocking tiles. From the mid-1960s most roofs were built with factory-made trussed rafters rather than cut timber, which is why lofts of this period are criss-crossed with slender timbers and rarely suit conversion without engineering input. Ground floors are usually solid concrete rather than the suspended timber of a 1930s house, and the windows were originally single-glazed timber or steel frames that have almost always been replaced with uPVC since.

Flat-roofed garages, picture windows and open-plan living rooms were all fashionable. A minority of houses from the period are not conventional at all: timber-frame, cross-wall, no-fines concrete and other system-built types were used widely for council housing and some private estates, and lenders treat several of them as non-standard construction, so the construction type is one of the first things your surveyor will establish.

Common defects a survey finds in 1960s and 1970s houses

• Flat roofs over garages and extensions. Built-up mineral felt was the standard covering and most original roofs have been patched or replaced since. The survey checks for ponding, blistering, splits at upstands and staining to the ceiling below; a long-standing leak into a chipboard deck can mean the whole roof needs renewal. The flat roof survey guide explains what a closer inspection covers.
• Asbestos-containing materials. Textured ceiling coatings such as Artex, asbestos cement garage roofs and soffits, flue pipes, boiler and airing-cupboard boards, and thermoplastic floor tiles were all in routine use until the 1980s. A surveyor will not sample materials but will flag where asbestos is likely and recommend testing before any works. See the Artex and asbestos guide for the testing and removal picture.
• Cavity walls and retrofitted insulation. Wall ties of the period were galvanised and generally better than interwar ties, but galvanising standards were tightened in the early 1980s, so corrosion still appears in exposed locations. Many of these houses have had cavity wall insulation blown in since; where the cavity was debris-filled or the wall faces driving rain, that insulation can carry damp to the inner leaf. The cavity wall insulation problems guide covers diagnosis and remedies.
• Lintels and replacement windows. Some openings in cavity walls of this era were built with inadequate lintels, or none at all on the outer leaf, with the original timber or steel frame doing more work than it should. When the windows were swapped for uPVC, cracking and sagging brickwork above the openings can follow. Your surveyor looks closely at the masonry over every window and door.
• Solid floors and sulphate attack. Concrete ground-floor slabs were laid on hardcore that sometimes contained sulphate-bearing material. Over time a chemical reaction can cause the slab to expand and lift, cracking floors, pushing out skirtings and distorting internal walls. Lifted or humped floors are a serious finding that usually needs a specialist investigation.
• Pitch-fibre drains. Used widely from the 1950s to the 1970s, pitch-fibre pipes soften, deform and blister with age. Slow drains, repeated blockages or a soft patch of garden above the run are the clues; a CCTV drain survey is the usual recommendation.
• Condensation and cold bridging. Uninsulated cavities, concrete lintels and solid floors create cold spots where moisture condenses, so black mould in corners and window reveals is common. The survey distinguishes condensation from rising or penetrating damp, because the fixes differ.
• Services. Original wiring, rewirable fuse boards, back boilers and warm-air units are now beyond the end of their life; where they survive, budget for replacement.
• Roof structure and alterations. Early trussed-rafter roofs were often built without the diagonal bracing later required, and trusses are sometimes cut to fit a hatch, tank or conversion. Removed internal walls and infilled garages should have Building Regulations approval, and on semis and terraces may have engaged the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

Level 2 or Level 3 survey for a 1970s house?

Under the RICS Home Survey Standard, a Level 2 survey is designed for conventional property in reasonable condition and a Level 3 for older, larger, altered or unusual buildings. Unlike a Victorian house, a well-maintained 1960s or 1970s semi of standard construction usually sits comfortably within Level 2.

A Level 2 HomeBuyer survey (typically £400–£600) suits a house of cavity-brick-and-block construction that has not been significantly extended, with a pitched tiled roof in fair order and no visible cracking, floor distortion or damp staining. The surveyor inspects all accessible areas, grades each element with condition ratings 1 to 3 and flags anything needing further investigation.

A Level 3 Building Survey (typically £600–£1,200) is the better choice where the house is timber-frame or otherwise non-traditional, has a large flat-roofed extension or converted garage, shows humped floors or cracking over openings, has been let or empty for years, or where you plan major works such as a loft conversion in a trussed roof. Level 3 explains the cause of each defect, sets out repair options and comments on the consequences of leaving things alone. What a Level 3 survey covers describes the difference in depth.

What happens on the day

Your surveyor starts outside, checking the roof coverings, the flat roofs where safely accessible, the brickwork over openings, the pointing and the height of the damp-proof course above paths. Inside, the inspection covers the roof space and its bracing, every room, the visible services and the floors, with a moisture meter used on walls at low level and a straight edge across any floor that looks uneven. Fitted carpets are not lifted and walls are not opened, so where something cannot be seen the report says so.

As a general picture of the market, a Level 2 inspection of a three-bedroom semi takes two to three hours on site and a Level 3 most of a day, with the written report usually following within one to two weeks.

Reading the report and what to do next

Expect a handful of condition rating 3 items in any 1960s or 1970s house; a tired garage roof and a suspected Artex ceiling are routine rather than deal-breakers. What matters is whether a defect is active, what it costs to put right and whether it affects the mortgage. A lifted floor slab, cracking over several openings or a non-traditional construction type are the findings that justify a specific defect report, a structural crack assessment or an asbestos survey before exchange. A dedicated roof survey can price a failing flat roof precisely.

Ask the seller early for any cavity insulation guarantee, Building Regulations completion certificates for extensions and garage conversions, certificates for replacement windows, and electrical and gas paperwork. Builders' quotes for the significant items, alongside the report, are the evidence that supports a price renegotiation.

Book a survey on a 1960s or 1970s house with Survey Merchant

Survey Merchant provides RICS surveyors for Level 2 HomeBuyer surveys and Level 3 Building Surveys through a national panel of 2,400+ chartered surveyors covering London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and more than 100 other locations across the UK and Ireland. The panel's surveyors know post-war estate housing well, from felt flat roofs and pitch-fibre drains to system-built construction types, and fixed fees are quoted up front. Tell Survey Merchant the address and whether the house has been extended, and the right level of survey can be arranged with a surveyor who covers your area. Explore the full range of building surveying services or contact Survey Merchant for a fixed-fee quote on 0204 579 8270.