Glossary H-L

  • HAC - High Alumina Cement

    Additive used in concrete to speed hardening, cases loss of strength especially in damp conditions. 
  • Half timbering

    A method of construction featuring walls built in timber framework with the spaces filled in by plaster or brickwork. Often some of the exposed planks are laid at an angle to create a pattern. 
  • Hardcore

    Broken bricks or stone which, consolidated, are used as a foundations in extreme cases. 
  •  Haunching

    See "Benching". Also term used to describe the support to a drain underground. 
  •  Header

    A brick laid in a wall so that only its end appears on the face of the wall. To add a varied appearance o brickwork, headers are alternated with "stretchers", bricks laid full length on their sides. 
  •  Head Lessee

    The Head Lessee owns the Head Lease, out of which all sub leases have been issued. 
  •  Herringbone work

    Stone, brick or tile work in which the components are laid diagonally instead of horizontally forming a distinct zigzag pattern along a wall face. 
  •  Hip

    The external junction between two intersecting roof slopes. 
  •  Hipped roof

    A roof with sloped instead of vertical ends. 
  •  Hip Tile

    A saddle shaped or angular tile fitting over the intersection of those roofing tiles which meet at a hip. "In position" - applied to work done in the position where it is finally required, eg: concrete may be precast in sections which are later taken to the position where they are required or it may be cast "in situ". 
  •  Hoggin

    Hardcore used as infilling material beneath solid floors etc. 
  •  Homebuyers’s Survey and Valuation (House/Flat Buyer’s Report)

    Unlike the Building Survey, this type of survey does include a valuation of the property. This survey is designed top provide a general assessment of the condition of the building and highlights any significant problems that may affect the property value. It is particularly useful for properties of conventional design, but within the last 150 years. 
  •  Honeycomb wall

    Bricks laid with gaps between to allow ventilation (sleeper wall). 
  •  Hopperhead

    Funnel to collect water at top of downpipe/wastepipe. 
  •  IFA

    Independent Financial Advisor. 
  •  Individual savings account (ISA) mortgage

    An interest-only mortgage linked to an Individual Savings Account fund. It is designed to pay off the loan at the end of the period. 
  •  Infill

    Hardcore, rubble or other such material used to bring the ground floor level on a sloping site, prior to laying of a solid concrete floor level. 
  •  Inspection Chamber

    Commonly called the "man-hole": access point to a drain comprising a chamber (of brick, concrete or plastic) with the drainage channel at its base and a removable cover at ground level. 
  •  Interceptor

    Trap in drain to prevent foul air entering from sewer. 
  •  Interest charges (mortgage)

    Interest charges are the percentage of the amount borrowed that the Lander then charges to the Borrower. 
  •  Interest-only mortgage

    An interest-only mortgage that remains unchanged through the lifetime of the loan. Interest is paid monthly and a separate premium is paid to an investment instrument each month. By the end of the term, the proceeds from the investment instrument are supposed to be sufficient to repay the principal of the mortgage. The borrower is liable to ensure that this is the case. 
  •  Interstitial condensation

    Trapped moisture in timber frame walls and flat roofs, double glazing. 
  •  Inventory

    Any dilapidation in a property during the tenancy is shown in an inventory (a list of the contents and condition of those contents at the beginning and end of a tenancy). 
  •  Invert

    Bottom of manhole or drain. 
  •  Investigation Prior To Alteration

    Likely to involve a number of specialists, this survey is required to test the structure and the services of a building prior to any designated alteration to that building. 
  •  Jamb

    Vertical side face of a doorway or window. 
  •  Joist

    A timber or steel beam directly supporting a floor and sometimes altenratively or additionally supporting a ceiling. Steel beams are usually referred to as RSJs (rolled steel joists). 
  •  Key

    The roughness of a surface which provides a bond for any application of paint, plaster, rendering, tiles etc or spaces between laths or wire meshes which provide a grip for plaster. 
  •  King post

    Single central upright in traditional roof truss system. 
  •  Lamination

    Splitting away of surface of tiles etc. (delamination). 
  •  Landlord

    The property’s Head Lessor or freeholder is the Landlord. 
  •  Land registry fee

    The Land registry’s fees are for registering ownership of a property. 
  •  Landslip

    Downhill movement of unstable earth, clay, rock etc often following prolonged heavy rain or coastal erosion, but sometimes due to sub-soil having poor cohesion. 
  •  Lath

    Thin strip of wood used in the fixing of roof tiles or slates, or as backing to plaster. 
  •  Lath and plaster

    Traditional ceiling and stud wall plaster on thin wooden strips. 
  •  Lease

    A legal document that establishes the let of a property (in part of in its entirety) by a Freeholder or Leasehold owner for a specified duration of time, after which that Freeholder or Leasehold owner recovers ownership. 
  •  Leasehold

    Land or property held under a lease. 
  •  Leasehold Property

    A property governed by a lease. 
  •  Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993

    This Act of Parliament allows those Lessees who meet the necessary qualification criteria to acquire an extension to their lease. 
  •  Leasehold Valuation Tribunal

    The Public body that oversees disputes regarding Leases, Service Charges and the management of discrete units in a property (i.e. blocks of flats). 
  •  Lender’s arrangement fees

    The Lender’s fees to the buyer for arranging a loan are known as their arrangement fees. 
  •  Lender’s legal fees

    The Lender’s legal fees for arranging a mortgage are borne by the buyer. 
  •  Lessee

    A Lessee owns the lease to a property 
  •  Lessor

    The Lessor grants a Lease to the property because they own the Freehold to that property. 
  •  Lintel

    A horizontal beam over a door or window oepning usually carrying the load of the wall above. Often lintels can be partially or completely hidden from view. 
  •  Listed building

    A building protected from demolition or any alteration (without local government permission) due to its being of special architectural or historic interest value. 
  •  Loan Offer

    A Loan offer is the Lender’s formal approval of the Buyer’s request for a mortgage. It notes all the applicable terms and conditions. 
  •  Loan to value (LTV)

    LTV show the mortgage loan as a percentage of the property’s value. 
  •  Local authority search

    A search by the buyer’s solicitor for any outstanding enforcement or future development issues affecting a property or its immediate vicinity. 
  •  Longhorn

    Beetle (Hylotrupe Bajulus). A serious insect pest mainly confined to the extreme south-east of England, which can totally destroy the structural strength of wood. 
  •  Long Lease

    A long Lease is a Lease granted for more than 21 years to a property. 
  •  LPG

    Liquid Petroleum Gas or Propane. Available to serve gas appliances in areas without mains gas. Requires a storage tank.