Chartered surveyors in Accrington

5 RICS surveyors covering 1 postcode district around Accrington, in the North West. RICS Home Survey Level 2 and Level 3, and RICS Residential Valuation.

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Accrington gave its name to the hardest brick in Britain, and 40% of the town's houses were standing before 1900 — terraces built of the famous Nori brick with stone details, solid walls and slate roofs now well past their first century. Hard brick weathers superbly but the lime mortar between courses does not, and cement repointing done in recent decades is one of the commonest faults we rate here. Hillside terraces bring retaining walls and split levels into the survey, and improved terraces get their improvements inspected as closely as their originals.

Local conditions

What we check in Accrington.

Drawn from official open data for this area, not written from a template. It tells you what a survey here has to account for. It is not a substitute for the formal searches, and we say where those live.

River Calder and River Irwell: Flood risk is one of the first things we check, because it affects insurance, lending and what we look at underfoot. The River Calder, River Irwell, River Ribble, River Darwen, River Ribble are all within reach of Accrington.Check this property on the official service
1 postcode district covered: We cover BB postcodes around Accrington with 5 RICS surveyors. What we look hardest at depends on the age and construction of your particular property.What a survey covers
Hyndburn: Building control records, conservation area status and planning history for Accrington sit with Hyndburn. Where alterations look unauthorised we will say so, and tell you what to ask your solicitor to confirm.

Sources: Environment Agency flood areas and ONS boundary data, both Open Government Licence; coalfield extents from published Coal Authority and BGS mapping. Coalfield boundaries are indicative. A mining report is the authoritative answer for any individual property.

The housing stock in Accrington.

40%

of homes within 2.4km of the centre were built pre-1900. Age is the strongest single predictor of what a survey finds, so it is where we start before we have seen the property.

Homes in Accrington by construction era, compared with England and Wales
Built	Share	Compared with England & Wales	Homes
Pre-1900	40%	+24.5 pts	11,990
1900–1929	11.9%	+1.9 pts	3,560
1930s	5%	-4.9 pts	1,500
1945–1964	10.5%	-5.8 pts	3,150
1965–1982	12.7%	-5.6 pts	3,790
1983–1999	11.1%	about average	3,320
2000 onwards	8.8%	-9.3 pts	2,650

29,960 homes across 42 statistical areas within 2.4km of the centre. The marker on each bar is the England and Wales share. Source: Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax stock of properties, © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

What that means on an inspection

Pre-1900

Normally solid walls of brick or stone with no cavity, lime mortar, timber suspended floors and lath-and-plaster internally. Any damp-proof course is either slate or absent altogether.

What we usually find. Damp at low level is the most frequent finding, usually where a slate damp-proof course has been bridged by raised ground or by later solid floors and cement render. Chimney stacks, roof coverings and rainwater goods are often at or beyond the end of their serviceable lives, and earlier repointing in cement rather than lime can trap moisture and spall the brick face.

Worth knowing. Solid walls cannot be treated like cavity walls. Injected chemical courses and internal tanking frequently move the problem rather than resolve it, so the cause matters more than the last remedy applied.

1965–1982

Cavity walls with insulation increasingly built in, flat-roofed elements such as garages, dormers and rear additions, and a broader range of manufactured materials.

What we usually find. Flat roofs of this era are frequently on their second or third covering and are a common source of water ingress. Textured coatings applied before the mid-1980s may contain asbestos, as may some cement products, soffits and floor tiles.

Worth knowing. Asbestos-containing materials are usually safe if undisturbed and in good order, but they matter a great deal if you intend to remove ceilings, take down a garage or open up the layout.

These are tendencies of the local stock, not findings on any particular house. A well-maintained Victorian terrace can be in better order than a neglected 1990s semi, which is the entire reason a survey is done on the building in front of you rather than on its postcode.

Our own record here

What we have surveyed in Accrington.

Aggregate figures only, with no property identifiable.

8reports issued in Accrington since 2024, including 7 surveys and 1 valuations. Every one inspected by an RICS surveyor who works this area.

It matters because the era decides what we look hardest at. Pre-1919 homes rarely have an effective damp-proof course and often have solid walls; interwar semis bring cavity wall ties and original roof coverings near the end of their life; post-war stock raises flat roofs and first-generation cavity insulation. Your report is written around what your property actually is.

Counted from our own job records, issued reports only. Aggregate figures: no address, client or property detail is published, here or anywhere on this site.

Buying here

What to check before you buy in Accrington.

What a survey in Accrington has to account for

Solid walls carry no cavity to keep water out, so penetrating damp is the recurring finding, and it is made worse where soft lime pointing has been replaced with hard cement that traps moisture in the brick. Original slate roofs of this age are usually at the point of needing recovering rather than patching, and chimney stacks, flaunching and flashings are where the money goes. Suspended timber floors need their sub-floor ventilation checked; blocked airbricks and raised external ground levels are the usual cause of decay.

57% of the stock here predates 1940, so a Level 3 Building Survey is more often the right choice than a Level 2. We will say so when it is, and equally we will tell you when the cheaper survey is enough.

Ground and water

The Environment Agency records flood areas near Accrington on River Calder, River Irwell and River Ribble. Whether a specific address is affected depends on where it sits rather than on the town, so we check the catchment against the property and tell you what it means for insurance and for the searches.

Surveyors near you

5 RICS surveyors cover Accrington, and the same team works Great Harwood, Padiham, Rawtenstall and Blackburn. A surveyor working the same patch has usually seen the construction, the estates and the recurring defects before, which is the difference between a report that describes a house and one that recognises it.

Available in Accrington

Which survey do you need?

RICS Level 2

RICS Home Survey — Level 2

A conventional house or flat, built this century or last, in reasonable order

In detail →

RICS Level 3

RICS Home Survey — Level 3

Older, larger, altered or extended, or anything already showing signs of movement or damp

In detail →

Red Book

RICS Residential Valuation

You need a figure rather than a condition report, for probate, Help to Buy or shared ownership

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Your fixed price is confirmed in writing before you instruct us, and it does not change afterwards.

Nearby

We also cover.

Blackburn6 surveyors Darwen6 surveyors Great Harwood6 surveyors Burnley5 surveyors Padiham5 surveyors Rawtenstall5 surveyors

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