Homebuyer Structural Checklist

At the viewing — outside

• Sight along each elevation for leaning, bulging or bowed walls
• Look for diagonal or stepped cracking, especially beside bays and openings
• Check the bay: cracking above, separation from the main wall, dropped sills
• Scan the roofline for sags and the chimneys for leaning or fresh mortar
• Note every substantial tree within ~15 metres of the building
• Look for sinking paving, lush stripes over drain runs, settled gully surrounds
• Check any extension junction for cracking where new meets old
• On slopes: look at retaining walls in the garden — leaning, bulging, vegetation in joints

At the viewing — inside

• Open and close every door and window — note sticking or trimmed edges
• Roll a marble or use a level app on suspicious floors; feel for spring
• Look for cracks re-emerging through fresh paint or new plaster
• Check the ceiling/wall junctions for gaps and rippled paper
• Note open-plan spaces and ask what was removed to create them
• In cellars: look at the base masonry, dampness and any altered openings
• In the loft: original structure or converted? Ask for the paperwork either way

Through your solicitor

• Certificates and calculations for every structural alteration (all flats, not just yours)
• Building Control completion certificates for extensions and loft conversions
• Any past structural or engineer's reports and monitoring records
• Subsidence claims history and any certificate of structural adequacy
• Party wall awards from works at the property or next door
• For flats: freeholder alteration records and communal repair history

Professional layer

• Level 2/3 survey appropriate to the property's age
• Structural engineer's report on anything flagged — before exchange
• CCTV drain survey for pre-1950s property (cheap insurance)
• Insurance quote confirmed — with full disclosure — before exchange