Age and type of house

What can a survey of one ex-local-authority flat say about the roof the block shares?

It can say what was visible from the flat and from the outside, and it should say what it could not enter. It cannot decide the council’s or the landlord’s repair duty, and it cannot see a roof space it was not shown. An ex-council flat is not automatically non-standard construction. The roof comment is condition. Who pays is the lease.

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?

GOV.UK’s leasehold pages put service charges and consultation with the landlord and the lease, not with the survey rating. A rating 3 on a roof you do not control is a reason to read the accounts and any notices, not a reason to hire a roofer for the block. The survey of one flat does not inspect every other flat’s ceiling. Right-to-buy history and covenants are the solicitor’s questions.

If the block is concrete or named as a system, that is a construction comment and should be named only if the surveyor can name it. Do not add “Airey” or “PRC” because the seller said council. There is no RICS price for a block roof. Ask the solicitor who repairs it before you negotiate as if you could commission the work yourself.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Could you enter the roof space, or only see the ceiling of this flat?
Are you calling the building non-standard, or only describing the roof?
What are you leaving to the lease and the landlord?

What are the typical next steps?

Ask the solicitor who pays for the roof.
Do not instruct a roofer for a roof you may not be allowed to touch.
Keep “ex-council” and “non-standard” as separate words unless the survey has joined them.

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

Does a council freeholder change the condition rating?

No. The rating is about condition. The freeholder is about who must act. Ask the solicitor.

Can the surveyor make the landlord repair before you buy?

No. The survey is advice to you. It is not an order to the landlord.