Choosing a survey level
The surveyor used binoculars from the pavement because the garden was locked. Which parts of the roof does that limit?
It limits you to the slopes, junctions and gutters that can be seen from the pavement, and it leaves out the rest. The garden was locked, so the surveyor did not get closer and did not walk round the house. Binoculars magnify the street view. They do not reveal a rear slope hidden by the ridge, a valley, a flat roof behind a parapet, or the far side of a chimney. Those parts were not inspected from the locked garden. Distance is not a pass.
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 pavement view can be honest about the front. Tiles, a sagging ridge and an obvious slipped slate may show. What it cannot do is substitute for standing at the back. Locked gates are a real limit, and the report should say the garden was not entered. Binoculars do not climb the roof and do not enter a loft. If the rear elevation was out of sight, the rear covering, its flashings and its gutters were out of the inspection.
Do not fill the unseen slopes with the condition of the front. Ask the surveyor to list what the pavement view could not cover. Before exchange, ask whether access can be arranged so the hidden faces are seen, or instruct someone who will be let into the garden. Until that happens, those faces stay not inspected. A clear look at the front with glasses is still a clear look at the front. It is not a survey of the roof you could not see.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which roof slopes and junctions were visible from the pavement?
- Which faces were hidden because the garden was locked?
- Will you mark the unseen parts as not inspected, rather than as sound?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat the unseen slopes as having been checked with binoculars.
- Ask for access to the garden before you rely on the hidden faces.
- Keep the pavement findings on the parts the pavement could see.
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 front looks fair through the glasses, is the back included?
No. A fair front is the front. Slopes and junctions you cannot see from the pavement were not inspected, and the locked garden is the reason.
Does a locked gate mean the whole roof is not inspected?
Not the parts that were clearly seen from the pavement. It does mean the hidden slopes and junctions were not reached. Do not spread one limit across the other.