What to Do With a Surveyor's Painting and Decoration Report

Acting on a surveyor's report: painting and decoration

You have had a survey done. Maybe it was a Level 2 HomeBuyer Report, maybe a full Level 3 Building Survey on an older property. Either way, you are now looking at several pages of observations about the condition of paintwork, external decorations, joinery, render and associated defects — and wondering what to do with it.

This is a situation we encounter regularly. Clients come to us with survey reports in hand and ask us to help translate surveyor's language into a practical work programme. Here is how we approach it.

Read the condition ratings first

RICS surveyors use a three-tier condition rating system:

• Condition 1 — no repair is currently needed
• Condition 2 — defects that need attention but are not urgent
• Condition 3 — serious defects requiring urgent repair

Anything rated Condition 3 that touches on painting and decoration — peeling exterior render, failed window paint with exposed bare timber, damp ingress showing through interior decoration — needs to be addressed first, and addressed properly rather than cosmetically. Painting over a Condition 3 defect without fixing the underlying cause will not survive the first winter.

Separate the symptoms from the causes

Surveyors report what they see. A surveyor noting "decoration in poor condition to front elevation" is describing a symptom. The cause might be: failed caulking around window frames letting water in, a cracked render allowing moisture to penetrate, or simply neglected maintenance over a decade. Before we quote for any decorating work flagged in a survey, we identify the cause and include the necessary remedial work in the specification.

This is important for clients too. If a surveyor has flagged significant exterior paint failure, and you simply ask three decorators to re-paint the front elevation, you may get three quotes for painting over the problem. You want a decorator who will tell you honestly that the window frame caulking needs replacing, the render needs a crack repair and a stabilising coat before the masonry paint goes on, and the sill needs to be stripped back because there are four previous paint layers with no adhesion to the substrate beneath.

Building a prioritised schedule

Once you understand what is urgent (Condition 3), what is maintenance due (Condition 2) and what can wait (Condition 1), you can build a sensible order of work:

First: structural and water-exclusion items. Any cracked render, open joints around windows, failed flashings or gutter defects that are allowing water in need to be addressed before decoration. Paint is not waterproofing. Decorating before these items are resolved is money wasted.

Second: exterior wood and metalwork. Exposed bare timber or rust on ironwork should be treated as soon as structural items are resolved. Bare timber in London's climate will absorb moisture quickly and the window of opportunity to preserve original joinery can be short.

Third: exterior masonry and render. Once joinery and metalwork are sound, the masonry or render can be washed, repaired where necessary and painted.

Fourth: interior redecoration. Unless there is active damp causing interior paint failure, interior work can generally wait until exterior defects are resolved. Repainting interior walls affected by damp while the source of damp remains unresolved is wasteful.

Briefing contractors: what to include

When you approach contractors after a survey, give them the relevant sections of the report. Any contractor worth appointing should read it and incorporate the findings into their scope of work. If a contractor ignores the survey and simply quotes for painting everything in sight without commenting on defects, treat that as a red flag.

A properly written decorating specification following a survey should include:

• A list of all surfaces to be prepared, noting the specific preparation required for each (e.g., "strip back failing paint to bare timber, treat any signs of wet rot, apply flexible filler, prime with oil-based primer, two coats exterior eggshell")
• Details of any crack repairs, caulking renewals or masonry stabilising treatments to be carried out before painting
• The specific paint products to be used, including primers, undercoats and topcoats
• A note of any items that fall outside the painting scope but need to be resolved before painting commences

We always include this level of detail in our specifications. It protects the client, makes the scope of work clear, and gives you a document to refer to if there are any questions once the work is underway.

Following through: how to check the work

The most common failure point after a surveyor's report is that the specification was written but not followed. A contractor might have quoted for stripping bay window sills but applied the topcoat on top of previous layers because it was quicker. Here is how to check:

• Ask to see bare substrate before primer is applied. A quick photograph of any stripped timber or filled render before painting begins is all you need.
• Review paint products against the specification. Tins should match what was quoted. If the spec said Dulux Weathershield and you see a trade emulsion, ask why.
• Check coverage on horizontal surfaces. Bay sills, coping stones and sill edges are the most likely place for a shortcut to be taken. Look carefully after the job is done and before you make final payment.

We welcome clients who want to be involved and check progress. Good work holds up to inspection. If a contractor discourages you from visiting during the job, that is worth noting.

Getting the timing right

For post-survey exterior work in London, the ideal window is late spring through early autumn — April to September in practical terms. Paint adhesion and drying times are adversely affected by cold and damp, and applying an exterior coating in November rain is not going to give you the result the surveyor intended when they wrote their report. Plan your exterior work now, get quotes in winter, and schedule the work for the spring.

We are happy to review your survey report and give you an honest assessment of what needs doing and in what order. Contact us to arrange a site visit.