Condition ratings
Do coloured dots on a survey PDF change what condition ratings 1, 2 and 3 mean?
No. The colours are a layout. The definitions are the RICS ones. Rating 1 is no repair currently needed. Rating 2 needs repair or replacement but is not serious or urgent. Rating 3 is serious or urgent, or both. A red dot does not add a fourth category, and a green dot does not erase a written limitation.
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?
Firms design their own templates. Some use traffic lights, some use numbers, some use both. The Level 3 description is where the three definitions sit, and the “what to do now” note tells you to get written quotations before legal commitment when an element is rating 3. That duty to get quotes is about the definition, not about the colour of the icon. Do not assume every UK report uses these three numbers. Read the key on the document you hold.
Read the sentence under the dot. If the sentence says the loft was not inspected, the colour of a nearby element is irrelevant to the loft. There is no RICS price hidden in the graphic. Do not negotiate a percentage because the page looks red. Negotiate, if at all, from the defect that was described.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which definition are you applying, in words?
- Is any element coloured but also marked not inspected?
- Are you using English ratings on a Scottish report?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ignore the palette until you have read the paragraph.
- Get quotes for rating 3 items before you commit, as the RICS note says.
- Do not average the colours into a score.
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 amber always rating 2?
Only if the report’s key says so. Read the key. Do not assume every firm’s amber is the RICS definition.
Can a rating 3 be printed in black?
Yes. The number and the words matter. The ink does not.