Survey finding
Single staircase: means of escape and what UK buyers should check
Single-staircase design on residential blocks has become a focus of fire safety policy post-Grenfell. This page covers what to ask for in flats and how lenders treat higher-risk buildings.
Last updated: 6 May 2026. Editorially reviewed: 20 May 2026.
Finding
Single staircase: means of escape
What this usually means
Means of escape from fire is a Building Regulations Part B issue. For domestic houses, a single protected stair is usually adequate. For flats above certain heights, fire safety regulations have evolved post-Grenfell, including, from October 2024, a requirement that new residential blocks above 18m have a second staircase (the rule applies to England; commencement details vary). For existing buildings, single-staircase design is not a defect by itself but should be assessed against the building's fire risk assessment.
Why it matters
Single-staircase findings affect leasehold flats more than houses. A fire risk assessment for the building should specifically address single-staircase implications. Lenders and insurers in higher-risk buildings have become more selective post-Grenfell.
Ask your surveyor
- Check:Is the property in a residential block, and what is the building height and storey count?
- Check:Is there a current fire risk assessment for the building?
Ask the seller
- Check:Is the building above 18m or over 7 storeys?
- Check:Is there a current fire risk assessment, and any waking watch in place?
Next steps
- •Get two written quotes from local trades before negotiating with the seller.
- •Speak to your mortgage broker before exchanging if the finding affects mortgageability.
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
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What you need to know
Severity
Significant. Specialist follow-up usually warranted before exchange.
Typical cost to fix
Fire risk assessment for a block: arranged by the freeholder/managing agent, recharged through service charge. Adding a second staircase to an existing block is usually not feasible.
Mortgage impact
Lenders are more cautious about higher-risk buildings without satisfactory fire safety documentation. EWS1 status, fire risk assessment, and waking watch arrangements are the documents lenders look at.
Insurance impact
Block insurance for flats has risen in higher-risk buildings post-Grenfell. Single-staircase design may be one of multiple factors insurers price.
When to pull out
Pull out only if the building's fire safety status is unresolved. The lender refuses, and remediation is open-ended.
When to renegotiate, and by how much
Single-staircase findings on individual flats are generally not a price-renegotiation item per se, the broader building fire safety status is what affects price.
Thinking of pulling out or renegotiating? What to do after a bad survey
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Fire safety: flat and leasehold issues , often sits near single staircase: means of escape 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.