Ask the surveyor to explain the construction
Victorian and Edwardian houses may have solid brick or stone walls, suspended timber floors, slate roofs and extensions from several different periods. Other older homes use early cavity walls or local materials. Appearances can mislead, especially after rendering or cladding.
A plain explanation of the walls, floor and roof will help you plan repairs and answer insurance questions. It can also prevent an unsuitable modern material being used later. Dense cement pointing, for example, may behave differently from the softer mortar found in some traditional walls.
Ask whether the ground floor is suspended timber or solid. Blocked air bricks and damp beneath a timber floor deserve different attention from a mark beside a modern concrete floor.
Look at the maintenance the house has received
From outside, check the roof coverings, chimney stacks, leadwork, gutters, downpipes and painted timber. Inside, look for old staining beneath roof slopes, damp around unused chimney breasts, springy floors and doors that no longer fit their frames.
Older houses rarely look perfectly straight. The surveyor's job is to decide which changes are longstanding and which need attention. Fresh filler over a crack tells you very little without some idea of why the crack appeared.
Ask when the roof, wiring, boiler and drains were last renewed or checked. Sellers may not know, but invoices and certificates are useful when they exist.
Look closely at quick cosmetic work. New paint around one lower wall or a newly boxed-in pipe is not proof of a defect, though it is a fair reason to ask what was done.
Alterations can create awkward loose ends
Loft rooms, open-plan ground floors, removed chimney breasts and extensions deserve a closer look. Your conveyancer checks permissions and documents. The surveyor looks at what has actually been built.
Building Regulations approval is helpful, though it is not a guarantee that every detail remains sound. Missing papers do not prove the work is unsafe either. They leave a question that needs sensible legal and practical advice before exchange.
Do not accept indemnity insurance as an answer to the building's condition. It deals with a particular legal risk and does not repair poor support beneath a removed wall.
Old services can change the first-year budget
A dated kitchen can be used for a while. Unsafe wiring, a failing boiler or a damaged drain may not give you that choice. A general survey does not usually include specialist testing, so arrange an electrical inspection, heating check or drain survey when the evidence justifies it.
Read the Energy Performance Certificate, then look at the house itself. Loft insulation, glazing, draughts and the heating controls will all affect comfort. Insulation work on a traditionally built house needs a little care because trapping moisture can create new problems.
Chimneys and roof spaces deserve time. A blocked flue, slipped slate or old flashing can produce staining far from the point where rain first entered.
Allow extra time for insurance questions
You may be asked for the approximate build date, wall and roof materials, listed status, flat-roof percentage and any record of flooding or structural movement. Keep the survey nearby. It is better evidence than a guess made from the estate agent's description.
A genuinely unusual building may need a specialist insurer or broker. Find that out before exchange. It is frustrating to discover at the last minute that a standard online form has no accurate option for your roof or wall construction.
Make a repair list before deciding
Divide the work into three groups: urgent, likely within a few years, and simply desirable. Get quotations or further advice for the costly unknowns. Once you can see the likely spend alongside the purchase price, you can decide whether the house still adds up for you.
Ask yourself how much disruption the early work would cause. A manageable repair on an empty house can become much harder once every room is furnished.