What does woodworm mean on a house survey?

Woodworm is the larval stage of various wood-boring beetles, most commonly the common furniture beetle. Visible exit holes in timber are very common in older UK homes; whether they indicate an active or historic infestation matters more than the holes themselves. Active woodworm warrants treatment; historic woodworm is just evidence of past activity in well-ventilated dry timber. Sticky exit holes, fresh frass (powder), or recent emergence holes are signs of active infestation.

Is woodworm a reason to pull out of a purchase?

Not automatically. Woodworm severity ranges from cosmetic to deal-breaker. Pull out only if the cost to remediate exceeds the renegotiation headroom the seller will accept, if your lender refuses to lend on the property, or if a specialist report confirms an active, worsening defect. Most buyers renegotiate rather than walk; a written quote from a local trade is the strongest evidence to use.

Survey finding

Woodworm on your survey: active or historic?

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Most woodworm in UK property is historic. This page covers the distinction, the realistic costs, and what to ask.

Last updated: 6 May 2026. Editorially reviewed: 20 May 2026.

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Common findings

Finding

Woodworm

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What this usually means

Woodworm is the larval stage of various wood-boring beetles, most commonly the common furniture beetle. Visible exit holes in timber are very common in older UK homes; whether they indicate an active or historic infestation matters more than the holes themselves.

Why it matters

Active woodworm warrants treatment; historic woodworm is just evidence of past activity in well-ventilated dry timber. Sticky exit holes, fresh frass (powder), or recent emergence holes are signs of active infestation.

Ask your surveyor

Check:Is the infestation active or historic — what evidence supports your view?
Check:Are structural timbers (joists, rafters) affected, or only secondary timbers?

Ask the seller

Check:Has the property had timber treatment, with transferable guarantees?
Check:Is there an annual loft inspection?

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.

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What you need to know

Severity

2/ 5

Maintenance item. Worth quoting and including in negotiation.

Typical cost to fix

Specialist inspection £200-£500. Localised treatment £400-£1,500. Whole-house treatment £1,500-£4,500. Structural timber replacement adds £1,000-£10,000+.

Mortgage impact

Lender may retain if active and structural timbers are affected; usually lifted on guaranteed treatment.

Insurance impact

Excluded as maintenance.

When to pull out

Rarely a pull-out reason.

When to renegotiate, and by how much

Treatment cost plus 15% buffer; typical reduction £500-£3,000.

Thinking of pulling out or renegotiating? What to do after a bad survey

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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.

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Flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, schools, transport, broadband, tenure, age, listed status and price checks where data is available.

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How MyPropertyScan produces this guide, and what it is not

Published by MyPropertyScan and written by Ziad Nasr, who is accountable for its accuracy. No page here is written or reviewed by a chartered surveyor, conveyancer or regulated adviser, and we do not claim otherwise.

This page is not:

Chartered surveying — we do not inspect properties or produce RICS Home Survey reports
Legal advice — we do not act as conveyancers or advise on title, tenure or contracts
Mortgage or insurance advice — we are not regulated by the FCA and give no recommendations

Figures and process steps come from the published UK datasets and standards listed on this page, not from professional practice. Pages are updated when source coverage, survey cost assumptions, or lender and legal requirements materially change. Dataset limitations are set out on the methodology page.

Spotted something out of date or wrong? Email hello@mypropertyscan.com and we will correct it and change the update date.

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.

Professional standard: RICS Home Survey StandardRICS standard for condition-based residential surveys in the UK.
Learn more from: RICS consumer guide to surveysConsumer-facing guide to survey types and when each level is appropriate.
Official guidance: GOV.UK buying or selling your homeGovernment overview of the home buying and selling process.