Condition ratings
The report places a balconette, a condition rating and a load the rating does not calculate in one paragraph. Which of those were inspected, and which were merely named?
The balconette was inspected as far as a visual visit allows, and a condition rating records that look. The load was only named, because a rating does not calculate it. A balconette is the shallow guard, or small platform, at an opening. Rating 1 means no repair currently needed. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. Rating 3 means serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. None of those is a figure for the weight the metal or the fixings can carry. The survey has not calculated a load. The rating is not a structural proof.
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?
A condition rating is the surveyor's judgement of condition on the RICS scale, applied to what was seen: rust, loose fixings, a cracked slab, or nothing of that sort. It is not an engineering calculation of how many people the balconette can hold. NI means not inspected, not a pass, and that is a different mark from a numbered rating. If a number was given, it describes repair need, not capacity. The paragraph can name the word load and still have done no sums.
Tell the solicitor the rating is a condition mark and not a load figure. If you need to know what the balconette can carry, that is a structural question for a specialist, which this survey has not answered. Do not tell a lender the rating proved the fixing is strong enough. Ask the surveyor which rating was given and what defect, if any, it refers to. Keep load off the list of things the report decided.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which condition rating was given for the balconette, and for what defect?
- Did you calculate a load, or only mention that a rating cannot?
- Were the fixings seen closely enough to rate, or only from a distance?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the rating as condition, not as a load calculation.
- Ask the surveyor which rating applies and what was seen.
- Tell the solicitor the report did not work out what the balconette can carry.
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
Is rating 2 on a balconette a load limit?
No. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. It is not a weight the balconette can carry. Rating 3 would mean serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation, and a rating still would not calculate a load. The survey has not done that calculation. The number is a condition mark only.
If no number appears, was the balconette passed?
No. A missing number is not a pass. NI means not inspected, not a pass, and a paragraph that only names a rating without applying one has not cleared the balconette. The survey has not calculated a load either. Ask which mark was actually given. Do not treat silence as rating 1, which would mean no repair currently needed.