Do you cover Northwood, Stanmore and Harefield?

Yes. Northwood is in HA6, Stanmore in HA7 and Harefield in UB9. We cover HA1 to HA8, UB9 and UB10 with no travel supplement.

Do you survey 1930s maisonettes in Harrow and Ruislip?

Yes. We inspect the maisonette and what we can see of the shared parts, such as the roof and outside walls, and point out matters for your solicitor to check in the lease, such as who repairs the roof.

Is subsidence a concern on London Clay?

It can be. London Clay shrinks as it dries, and trees near a house increase the risk. We look for signs of movement in every survey and say if monitoring or further investigation is needed.

Level 2 & 3 House Surveys Harrow, Pinner & Ruislip

Homes we survey in Harrow, Pinner and Ruislip

Much of this area was fields until the Metropolitan Railway began promoting it as Metro-land in the years around the First World War. The houses that followed in the 1920s and 1930s, with bay windows, tile-hung or mock-Tudor gables and leaded lights, are the largest age group in our records, from Rayners Lane and Ruislip Manor to Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware. Semi-detached houses lead, with many detached houses too. Alongside them are purpose-built maisonettes of the same period, designed to look like a pair of semis from the street.

Building continued after the Second World War, and post-war houses and flats come next in our records. Older buildings survive in the centres of Pinner and Ruislip and on Harrow on the Hill. Not every interwar house has cavity walls, and some here are solid brick. We have also inspected timber-framed and Wimpey No-Fines houses.

From our survey reports in Harrow

Based on 75 DBISS surveys in 9 postcode districts since 2022. Figures are rounded; homes can fall in more than one wall category.

When the homes were built

Pre–19003%
1900–19191%
1920–193931%
1940–195927%
1960–197916%
1980–19997%
2000 onwards9%

Property types

36% semi-detached
28% detached
11% flat
5% maisonette

Main walls

65% cavity masonry · 29% solid masonry

Non-standard construction recorded

Wimpey No-Fines, Timber frame. About non-standard homes

What to look out for

London Clay. The area is built largely on London Clay, which shrinks as it dries out. Oaks and other large trees close to a house, whether in the garden or the street, can cause subsidence, and roots can break into drains.

1930s details. Bay windows can move independently of the main walls where their foundations are shallower. Original clay tiles, iron ties in early cavity walls and suspended timber floors, which need clear airbricks, all deserve a close look.

Lofts and extensions. Hip-to-gable loft conversions and large rear extensions are common. Ask your solicitor for the building regulations completion certificates.

Maisonettes. Read the lease carefully: who owns the loft and the garden, who repairs the roof, and how many years remain.

Northolt. RAF Northolt is in South Ruislip, and drones may not fly in its flight restriction zone without permission (CAA drone code). Before each inspection we check whether the address is affected.

Which survey?

For a 1930s house that has been extended or converted, or one showing cracks, we recommend a Level 3 Building Survey (from £550); where flight is permitted, we also inspect the roof by drone. A Level 2 Home Survey (from £440) can suit an unaltered house or maisonette in reasonable condition. Our guide to choosing between them may help.

Areas we cover

We cover HA1, HA2, HA3, HA4, HA5, HA6, HA7, HA8, UB9 and UB10, including Harrow, Wealdstone, Kenton, Rayners Lane, Ruislip, Eastcote, Pinner, Hatch End, Northwood, Stanmore, Edgware, Harefield and Ickenham. All of it lies within about 25 miles of Hemel Hempstead, so no travel supplement applies.

Nearby: Watford, Bushey and Rickmansworth, Barnet, Enfield and Potters Bar and Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor.

House surveys in Harrow, Pinner and Ruislip