MBC·LOC·WN · WN1–WN6 · Greater Manchester
Surveyors in Wigan. Read before you buy.
Built over the Lancashire coalfield — where the ground history matters as much as the walls. An independent building surveyor providing RICS Home Survey Level 2 (formerly the HomeBuyer Report) and Level 3 reports across Pemberton, Ince, Hindley, Standish and the wider WN1–WN6 area, from Mills Building Consultancy, based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
- Coverage
- WN1–WN6
- Surveys
- Level 1 · 2 · 3
- Fees
- From £335, fixed
Local stock register · Wigan
What Wigan’s houses are,
and how they behave.
01The housing stock
WN1–WN6+
Wigan’s housing reflects two centuries of coal and cotton: dense Victorian and Edwardian brick terraces through Pemberton, Ince, Hindley and the streets around the centre, larger period semis and villas toward Standish and Wigan Lane, extensive interwar and post-war council-built estates, and a great deal of modern estate housing in Standish, Orrell, Shevington and Ashton-in-Makerfield. Older stone cottages and farmhouses survive in the villages on the higher ground.
02What we commonly find
Survey experience+
Mining is the local question. The borough sits on the Lancashire coalfield, with a very long history of shallow workings and shafts — the Wigan Flashes are lakes formed by mining subsidence — so cracking, distortion and out-of-level floors get read against the ground history, and a coal-mining search is essential rather than optional. In the terraces, expect solid-wall damp, roof wear and altered rear extensions. On some post-war estates, non-traditional construction is worth identifying correctly for mortgage purposes.
03Which survey level — honestly
Level 2 vs 3+
Pre-1919 terraces, anything with movement history and non-traditional construction justify a Level 3. Conventional later estate housing in reasonable order is usually well served by a Level 2, alongside the mining search. Full scope of each level: Level 2 Home Survey · Level 3 Building Survey · or start with which level do you need?
The practice
Every instruction is handled by Mills Building Consultancy. The practice maintains the professional memberships and qualifications required for the agreed service. No call centres and no lead-selling: the instruction remains with the responsible practice.
Common questions · Wigan
Asked before booking.
How much does a house survey cost in Wigan?
From £335 for a Level 2 Home Survey and from £570 for a Level 3 Building Survey, rising with the purchase price, size, age and condition of the property. Fixed fee confirmed for the specific property before you commit.
Do I need a mining report when buying in Wigan?
In practice, yes — your conveyancer should order a coal-mining search for almost any property in the borough. The survey is the other half: we read cracking and distortion against that ground history, and most movement turns out to have ordinary causes. The point is knowing which is which before you commit.
Which areas of Wigan do you cover?
WN1 to WN6: Wigan town centre, Pemberton, Ince, Hindley, Aspull, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Orrell, Standish, Shevington and Appley Bridge.
Do you check for non-traditional construction?
Yes. Some post-war estates in the area used system-built methods that lenders treat differently from standard brick or block cavity walls. Identifying the construction type correctly is often the most valuable thing a survey does on this kind of property.
Local reading · Wigan
Guides for buyers in Wigan.
Matched to the kind of houses you’ll be viewing in Wigan — what to look for, and what to ask.
- Signs of subsidence: what it is, what causes it, and how to check your house
- Non-standard construction houses: PRC, steel and concrete homes explained
- Repointing brick and stone: lime mortar vs cement on older houses
- Rising damp, condensation or penetrating damp? How to tell the difference
- Roof spread and sagging roofs: causes, signs and how serious they are
- Horizontal, vertical and diagonal cracks in walls: what each one means
- House viewing checklist — print it or tick it off on your phone.
- How old is my house? — date a Wigan house from its walls, windows and roof.
Before you buy in Wigan
Five official checks worth doing.
Alongside the survey and your conveyancer’s searches, these official sources tell you a lot about a Wigan property in minutes:
- Check long-term flood risk — the Environment Agency’s map of flood risk from rivers, surface water and more (GOV.UK).
- Radon maps — UKHSA’s check on whether the area is affected by radon, a natural gas from the ground.
- Coal mining information — the Mining Remediation Authority (formerly the Coal Authority), for property in former mining areas.
- Find an energy certificate — the property’s EPC rating and recommended improvements (GOV.UK).
- Search the listed buildings register — whether the property or its neighbours are listed (Historic England).
It’s also worth checking the local council’s planning records for past extensions and alterations. Those records tell you what’s been approved; the survey tells you what they can’t — the actual condition of the building.
Buying in Wigan?
Know the building first.
Fixed fee for the specific property, quoted before you commit. Tell us the address and your timescale — we will confirm the right survey level and the earliest inspection date.
Request a quote →