Glossary T-Z

  • Tanking

    Waterproofing of cellar walls and floors.
  • Tell tale

    Glass or calibrated indicator fixed over crack to check movement.
  • Tenancy

    The tenancy is the temporary possession of a property by a tenant.
  • Tenancy agreement

    The Tenancy agreement legally identifies the rights of both tenants and landlords by detailing all the terms and conditions of the rental arrangements.
  • Tenant

    The Tenant is the party legally entitled to temporary possess a property.
  • Tenants in common

    'Tenants in common' describes a form of ownership by two or more parties. Should one of them die, the other party does not automatically receive the deceased's share of the property as that share forms part of the deceased's estate.
  • Tenure

    The tenure is the length of the term by which a property is held.
  • Terraced house

    A terraced house forms part of a connected row of houses.
  • Terracotta

    Fired but unglazed clay, used mainly for floor and roof tiles.
  • Terrazzo

    A sturdy floor finish of marble chips mixed with cement mortar. These are generally polished.
  • Thermo-plastic tiles

    Common 1950's floor covering before vinyl tiles.
  • Threshold

    Sill to an exterior door opening.
  • Tie Bar

    Metal bar passing through a wall, or walls in an attempt to brace a structure suffering from structural instability.
  • Timber framed houses

    Built with load bearing timber, generally brick faced.
  • Tingles

    Metal clips to re-fix slipped slates.
  • Title deeds

    Title deeds are documentary evidence of the legal ownership of a property.
  • Torching

    Mortar applied on the underside of roof tiles or slates to help prevent moisture penetration. Not necessary when a roof is underdrawn with felt.
  • Transfer deeds

    Transfer deeds are documents from the Land Registry that transfer legal ownership to Buyer from Seller.
  • Transom

    Horizontal bar of wood or stone across a window or top of door.
  • Tread

    The horizontal part of a step or stair.
  • Trussed Rafters

    Method of roof construction utilising prefabricated triangular framework of timbers. Now widely used in domestic construction.
  • Under Offer

    A property is 'under offer' when a Seller has accepted a Buyer's offer but has yet to exchange contracts.
  • Underpinning

    Method of strengthening weak foundations whereby a new, stronger foundation is placed beneath the original.
  • Valley Gutter

    Horizontal or sloping gutter, usually lead-or-tile-lined, at the internal intersection between roof slopes.
  • Valuation (Mortgage Valuation)

    A valuation of the property prepared for Lenders. They require this basic survey of a property to estimate its value for mortgage purposes before lending. It only answers the Lender's queries on the property and does not necessarily address the concerns of the Borrower.
  • Variable base rate

    A basic rate of interest (charged on a mortgage) that may rise or fall according to market conditions. Therefore monthly payments can rise or fall accordingly.
  • Vendor

    Vendor is the legal term used to describe the Seller of a property.
  • Ventilation

    Necessary in all buildings to disperse moisture resulting from bathing, cooking, breathing etc, and to assist in prevention of condensation. Floors: Necessary to avoid rot, especially dry rot; achieved by airbricks near to the ground level. Roofs: Necessary to disperse condensation within roof spaces; achieved either by airbricks in gables or ducts at the eaves.
    Verge

    The edge of the roof, especially over a gable or around a dormer window or skylight.
  • Verge Board

    Timber, sometimes decorative, placed at the verge of a roof; also known as "barge board".
  • Vertical damp proof course

    Used at change in level and in basements and adjacent to window and door opening.
  • Wall Plate

    Timber placed at the eaves of a roof, designed to take the weight of the roof timbers and coverings.
  • Wall Tie

    See "cavity wall tie".
  • Waste Pipe

    A pipe from a wash hand basin, sink or bath to carry away the waste water into the drains.
  • Weather Boarding

    Horizontal overlapping boards nailed on the outside of a building to provide the finished wall surface.
  • Weepholes

    Drainage within brickwork, generally cavities.
  • Wet Rot

    (Coniophora Puteana). Decay of timber due to damp conditions. Not to be confused with the more serious dry rot.
  • Woodworm

    Colloquial term for beetle infestation: usually intended to mean Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium Punctatum): by far the most frequently encountered insect attack in structural and joinery timbers.
  • Xestobium rufovillosum

    An insect, commonly known as the death watch beetle which attacks oak and other hardwoods by boring.
  • Xylophagous

    Descriptive of those insects which eat or bore into wood, e.g. xestobium rufovillosum
  • Xystus

    1. A garden walk, usually bordered by trees.
    2. A covered colonnade, as originally used for exercise by Greek athletes.
  • Yield

    The income from a property calculated as a percentage of its value.
  • Zone

    A defined area of land or part of a building which is allocated for a particular purpose, e.g. development plans may allocate areas of land for different uses or valuers of property may distinguish between areas of floorspace of a building and ascribe different to them.
  • Zone A value

    In the zoning method, the unit of comparison for rental purposes attributed to the frontal zone of retail premises, e.g. £x per square metre.
  • Zoning

    In planning terms, the dividing of an area by a local planning authority into zones for particular uses or activities.