Chartered surveyors in Llangollen

1 RICS surveyor covering 1 postcode district around Llangollen, in North Wales. RICS Home Survey Level 2 and Level 3.

More than two in five homes around Llangollen were built before 1900, and the 1965 to 1982 band is well below average, so this is predominantly an old stone town. It sits in a narrow stretch of the Dee valley, with the canal and the river close to many houses and terraces rising up the valley sides, so drainage, retaining walls and moisture in walls set into the slope are standing questions. Low ground by the Dee is checked against the Natural Resources Wales flood map.

Local conditions

What we check in Llangollen.

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.

1 postcode district covered: We cover LL postcodes around Llangollen with 1 RICS surveyor. What we look hardest at depends on the age and construction of your particular property.What a survey covers
Denbighshire: Building control records, conservation area status and planning history for Llangollen sit with Denbighshire. 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 Llangollen.

41.6%

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 Llangollen by construction era, compared with England and Wales
Built	Share	Compared with England & Wales	Homes
Pre-1900	41.6%	+26.1 pts	1,700
1900–1929	6.8%	-3.2 pts	280
1930s	4.6%	-5.3 pts	190
1945–1964	14.7%	-1.6 pts	600
1965–1982	10%	-8.3 pts	410
1983–1999	10.8%	-1.1 pts	440
2000 onwards	11.5%	-6.6 pts	470

4,090 homes across 5 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.

1945–1964

Post-war rebuilding, largely cavity-walled, but including system-built and non-traditional types — reinforced concrete, steel frame and prefabricated panels — put up quickly to address the housing shortage.

What we usually find. The conventional stock of this period is usually straightforward. Non-traditional construction is a different matter: some types are designated defective, and most lenders treat them differently or decline them, which affects both mortgageability and resale.

Worth knowing. Identifying the construction type is the first job on anything of this age that does not look conventionally built. A Level 3 survey is normally the right choice here, and lending should be confirmed early.

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.

Available in Llangollen