New builds and warranties
The specification lists appliances that are not installed. What can a condition rating of the kitchen units not include?
It cannot include machines that are not on site. A condition rating of the kitchen units describes the units that were fitted and seen. Appliances named in the specification but missing from the plot are a contract gap, not an element the surveyor could rate. Do not write them into the rating as if a boxed oven in a warehouse had been inspected in the kitchen.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Specifications promise ovens, hobs, extractors and dishwashers by brand and model. On the day of inspection the carcases may be there and the appliances may not, or placeholders may be screwed in. The surveyor rates the units, doors, worktops and services they could see. An empty aperture is an empty aperture. It is not a functioning oven with a condition rating, and it is not a failed appliance. NI, not inspected, is the honest cousin of this situation when something cannot be inspected. A missing machine was not inspected because it was not there. The rating boxes for the units must not be filled with the specification's shopping list.
Send the solicitor the specification page and a note of what was absent. Ask the builder when those items will be fitted and whether completion is being offered without them. The survey does not police the supply contract and does not value the missing machines. There is no repair price in the rating for an oven that was never unpacked. When the appliances do arrive, a later look can comment on installation. Until then, keep the contract list and the condition ratings in separate columns.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which appliances were absent, as distinct from units you could rate?
- Will empty apertures stay out of the unit ratings?
- Are you leaving the supply contract to the solicitor?
What are the typical next steps?
- List the missing appliances against the specification for the solicitor.
- Rate only the kitchen units that were actually there.
- Do not invent a condition for machines still in a warehouse.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the carcases are scratched, does that rate the missing oven?
No. Scratched units are the units. The oven, until it is installed, is not an element in that box.
Does a snagging list's appliance line become a rating?
No. A snagging line is not a condition rating. Copying it into the box is the mistake to avoid.