Survey finding
PRC (precast reinforced concrete) house: survey, mortgage and what to do
PRC house mortgage problems and PRC house survey questions are the two biggest searches buyers run after their surveyor flags precast reinforced concrete construction. This page sets out what PRC means, why it became a designated-defective category under the 1984 Act, what a PRC Homes Ltd certificate changes, and how to handle the lender, insurer, and seller conversation.
Last updated: 6 May 2026. Editorially reviewed: 20 May 2026.
Finding
PRC (precast reinforced concrete) house
What this usually means
Precast reinforced concrete (PRC) houses were built across the UK from the 1940s to 1960s as fast post-war housing, using prefabricated concrete panels with embedded steel reinforcement. Common system-build types include Airey, Cornish Unit, Wates, Reema, Unity, Boot, Tarran, Woolaway and Smith. Most were declared 'defective' under the Housing Defects Act 1984 because the embedded steel can corrode and weaken the panels over time. Many have since been repaired under PRC Homes Ltd or local council schemes, repair quality and certification are now the headline mortgage factors.
Why it matters
PRC properties without a certified repair are very difficult to mortgage on the high street. Once a PRC Homes Ltd or equivalent licensed-repair scheme has been completed and certified. The property typically returns to mainstream lender appetite. The certificate, the engineer's sign-off, and any 60-year structural warranty are the documents that change the mortgage outcome.
Ask your surveyor
- Check:Which PRC system is this (Airey, Cornish Unit, Wates, etc.) and is the system identifiable from external features?
- Check:Has the property been repaired under a recognised scheme, is there a PRC Homes Ltd certificate or equivalent?
Ask the seller
- Check:Do you have the PRC repair certificate and structural warranty documentation?
- Check:Have any post-repair inspections or remedial works been carried out?
Next steps
- •Confirm with your broker which lender will accept this construction type before paying for any further surveys.
- •Order a structural engineer's report if no recent one exists in the property's records.
Browse all findings
- Spray foam insulation
- Evidence of movement
- Damp
- Japanese knotweed
- Damp proof course issues
- Underpinning
- Cracks
- Roof issues
- Timber decay
- Electrical issues
- Non-standard construction
- Asbestos containing materials
- Roof covering needs repair
- Single skin wall construction
- Timber decay / wet rot
- Settlement cracks
- RAAC concrete
- Wall tie failure
- Party wall matters
- Drainage issues
- Subsidence monitoring
- Full electrical rewire needed
- Flat roof condition
- Cladding issues
- EWS1 form required
- Lintel failure
- Structural crack BRE category 3
- Structural crack BRE category 4-5
- Chimney stack movement
- Chimney flashing failure
- Parapet wall movement
- Bay window cracking
- Flat roof ponding
- Cold roof inadequate ventilation
- Warm roof insulation issues
- Prefab concrete construction
- Large panel system (LPS) construction
- Rising damp
- Penetrating damp
- Condensation vs damp distinction
- Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans)
- Woodworm
- Timber floor springiness
- Cellar / basement damp
- Outdated electrics (60-amp fuse board)
- Aluminium wiring
- Partial rewire needed
- Gas boiler condition
- Back boiler
- Unvented hot water cylinder issues
- Lead pipes (pre-1970)
- Lead paint
- Asbestos in Artex ceilings
- Asbestos floor tiles
- Asbestos cement roof
- Asbestos insulated board (AIB)
- Asbestos soffit boards
- Pointing / repointing needed
- Render cracking
- Pebbledash delamination
- UPVC window seal failure
- Sash window condition
- Flat roof membrane condition
- Zinc roof
- Felt roof condition
- Corrugated asbestos roof
- Cavity wall insulation issues
- External wall insulation issues
- No building regulations certificate
- No planning permission for extension
- Certificate of lawfulness needed
- Indemnity insurance required
- Neighbour dispute on file
- EPC F or G rating
- Oil heating property
- Off-gas-grid property
- Solar panel lease vs owned
- Ground source heat pump property
- Air source heat pump property
- Chimney breast removed without support
- Floor joist decay
- Wall bowing
- Mould and condensation
- Septic tank property
- Thatched roof condition
- Listed building restrictions
- Conservation area restrictions
- Restrictive covenants on title
- Coal mining area
- Coastal erosion risk
- Flood risk zone 3
- Radon affected area
- Contaminated land history
- Trees near building
- Party wall agreement outstanding
- EICR required
- Knotweed treatment history
- Single glazing condition
- RCD protection missing
- Damp-proofing guarantee transferability
- PRC (precast reinforced concrete) house
- Airey house
- BISF (British Iron and Steel Federation) house
- Timber frame construction
- Steel frame house
- Wet rot
- Heave (ground movement)
- Chimney condition and stability
- Short lease (under 80 years)
- Fire safety: flat and leasehold issues
- Blocked or condemned flue
- Spalling brickwork
- Diagonal cracks in walls
- Retaining wall condition
- Tanking failure in basement
- Missing or slipped ridge tiles
- Lead flashing condition
- Gutters and downpipes
- Double glazing condensation (failed units)
- Skylight or roof light condition
- Dormer condition and weathering
- Torn or missing sarking felt
- Chancel repair liability
- Easement or right of way
- Boundary dispute or unclear boundary
- Adverse possession risk
- Flying freehold
- Ground rent escalation clause
- High or variable service charge
- Extension without planning consent
- Loft conversion: no building regs
- Single-phase electrical supply only
- Shared or private sewer
- Blocked or collapsed drains
- Cesspit or septic tank
- Solid fuel heating
- No mains gas supply
- Low water pressure
- Private water supply
- Wimpey No-Fines concrete house
- Reema construction
- Unity or Boot construction
- Laing Easiform
- Cornish Unit house
- Cross-wall construction
- In-situ concrete construction
- Oak frame construction
- Radon: mitigation required
- Missing or inadequate fire alarms
- Single staircase: means of escape
- No earthing or bonding
Tool shortcut
Check the property before you offer
Flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, schools, transport, broadband, tenure, age, listed status and price checks where data is available.
Run a free previewCross-check this finding with EPC, building age, and address-specific risk data.
What you need to know
Severity
Serious. Lender and insurer involvement likely; structural or specialist remediation.
Typical cost to fix
PRC repair is typically £30,000–£100,000+ per property depending on system type and which panels are replaced. Most repairs were carried out under government grant schemes in the 1980s–2000s; if a property is still unrepaired. The cost falls on the buyer or seller. A specialist PRC structural engineer's report runs £600–£1,500.
Mortgage impact
Many high-street lenders decline PRC properties without a certified repair outright. Once a recognised scheme repair has been completed (PRC Homes Ltd certificate is the gold standard), most mainstream lenders will lend at standard rates. Some specialist lenders consider unrepaired PRC at higher rates and lower LTVs, often capped at 75–80%. Confirm with your broker and ask for the original PRC certificate before paying for the survey.
Insurance impact
Standard buildings insurance is available on certified-repaired PRC; uncertified PRC requires specialist insurer placement at higher premiums. The structural element of cover is often the issue, not flood or fire. Ask insurers to quote on the PRC certificate and any 60-year structural warranty.
When to pull out
Pull out if the property is unrepaired, no certificate exists. The seller can't fund repair, and your lender refuses. Do not assume an unrepaired PRC is unmortgageable. Specialist lenders exist, but expect the rate, LTV and timeline to all be worse than a standard property.
When to renegotiate, and by how much
If the property has a valid certificate, treat as standard for negotiation. If unrepaired and the seller wants to proceed without doing the works, negotiate down by the full repair cost plus 15–20% buffer. Ask for the seller to obtain at least one specialist quote before you commit.
Thinking of pulling out or renegotiating? What to do after a bad survey
Run the check on this address
The Survey Decoder explains the wording. The full report adds address-specific flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, listed status, building age and price comparison data, so a single finding isn't judged in isolation.
Run the check
Check the property before you offer
Flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, schools, transport, broadband, tenure, age, listed status and price checks where data is available.
Run a free previewRead next
Prefab concrete construction , often sits near prc (precast reinforced concrete) house on a survey and is the next thing to check.
Editorial review
Editorial owner: BiteRight Ltd, operator of MyPropertyScan. We review buyer guides against UK public property datasets, RICS survey wording, lender requirements, and common buyer questions.
Pages are updated when source coverage, property-risk guidance, survey cost assumptions, or product checks materially change. Methodology and dataset limitations are explained on the MyPropertyScan methodology page.
Sources used
We use UK public and specialist sources where they are available. Public datasets can be incomplete, delayed, or missing for some addresses. Treat them as a starting point, not as a replacement for professional advice.
Source standard: preference goes to official government datasets, statutory bodies, professional standards, and primary dataset publishers. We cite the source family on the page and explain coverage limits rather than filling gaps with unsupported estimates.