Is it a listed building?
CJ Bloor's listed building checker searches the National Heritage List for England around any postcode. It shows listed buildings with their grades, plus the designations that change what an owner can do: conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and World Heritage Sites.
Why this matters before you buy
Consent runs with the building, and so do past sins
Listed building consent is needed for any works affecting a listed building's character, inside and out, and there is no time limit on enforcement. Unauthorised past alterations become the new owner's responsibility the day of completion. The question on a viewing is not just "what would I change" but "what did someone already change, and was it consented?"
Repairs are like-for-like, and that costs more
Lime render rather than cement, single-glazed timber sashes rather than uPVC, natural slate rather than concrete tile. Budgets and insurance reinstatement figures both need to reflect it: a standard rebuild-cost estimate is usually wrong for a listed building, which is one of the specific things a Red Book valuation addresses.
Curtilage catches people out
The barn, the boundary wall, the outbuilding: structures within the curtilage that pre-date 1948 are normally protected too, even when the list entry never mentions them. Conversion plans for "the unlisted barn" frequently founder on this.
The right survey depth
A listed or conservation-area property is exactly the case an RICS Home Survey Level 3 exists for: construction, condition, the appropriateness of past repairs, and what maintaining the building will actually involve. On anything altered, we look at whether the works appear consented, before you inherit the problem.
Buying a listed or period property?
Our surveyors inspect listed and conservation-area housing every week across the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, the East Midlands, North Wales, the South West & the South East. A Level 3 survey tells you what the building is, what has been done to it, and what it will ask of you, before you are the one who owns the answers.
Not sure which level you need? Answer six questionsand get a straight recommendation.
Checking the ground as well? See whether the postcode is a radon Affected Area.
Common questions
How do I find out if a house is listed?
Search the National Heritage List for England, the official register held by Historic England. CJ Bloor’s listed building checker searches the same register around your postcode and links each result to its official list entry, which describes exactly what is covered. If the address appears there, it is listed; estate agent particulars and older surveys are not reliable on this point.
What does Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II mean?
Grade II covers about 92% of listed buildings and marks special interest. Grade II* (about 6%) marks particularly important buildings, and Grade I (about 2.5%) exceptional interest. The controls are broadly the same at every grade: listed building consent is needed for works affecting the building’s character, inside and out, and carrying out works without it is a criminal offence.
Does listing only cover the front of the building?
No. Listing covers the whole building, inside and out, and normally extends to structures attached to it and to buildings within its curtilage that pre-date July 1948 — outbuildings, boundary walls, railings. The list entry describes the building, but the protection is not limited to what the entry mentions.
What does living in a conservation area mean for alterations?
Demolition normally needs consent, works to trees must be notified to the council six weeks in advance, and permitted development rights are reduced, so extensions, cladding, dormers and satellite dishes that would be automatic elsewhere may need planning permission. Many conservation areas also carry Article 4 directions that remove further rights, commonly for windows, doors and roofing materials.
Should I get a different survey for a listed building?
Yes. A listed building is almost always older construction, and alterations carried out without consent become the current owner’s problem to regularise — inherited liability is the real risk. CJ Bloor recommends an RICS Home Survey Level 3 for a listed building: it examines how the building is constructed, whether past works look consented and appropriate, and what repair obligations come with it.