Condition ratings
Does a condition rating 2 on tired decoration mean you should budget for a new kitchen?
No. Rating 2 means that element needs repair or replacement but is not serious or urgent. Tired paint, worn worktops or dated units can be described that way without anyone ordering a new kitchen. The rating does not contain a price. A home survey is not an interior-design brief.
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?
The Level 3 definitions separate what is serious or urgent from what can be lived with and maintained. A damp-stained ceiling is not the same element as a faded cupboard door, even if both are in the kitchen. Ask which element was rated. RICS “what to do now” pushes written quotes before commitment for rating 3, not a new kitchen for every rating 2.
If you want to replace the kitchen anyway, that is your project. Do not ask the seller to fund your taste and call it the survey. There is no RICS kitchen tariff. Do not ignore a rating 3 leak under the sink because the units are old. The leak is the defect. The units may only be dated.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which element is rating 2: the fittings, the damp, or both?
- Is anything in this room rating 3?
- Are you advising a replacement, or only noting wear?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not add a new kitchen to a price demand because the report said the décor is tired.
- Do price a leak, a failed seal or a rating 3 defect in that room.
- If you will refit, keep that cost out of the seller negotiation unless the survey described a defect.
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 a dated bathroom a defect?
Date is not a defect. Leaks, rotten floors and failed seals are. Ask which the report describes.
Does rating 1 on fittings mean they match your taste?
No. It means no repair is currently needed. You may still dislike them.