Age and type of house

What should a survey of a flat above a shop be honest about?

It should be honest about what it could not see: the shop below, the commercial electrics, the separation in the floor, and often the structure that carries the shopfront. A residential flat survey is not a commercial survey of the shop. Noise and a smell on the day are observations, not a fire test and not a lease reading.

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 guidance still applies: service charges, consents, the lease. A shop in the same building can mean a different pattern of repair and a different insurer’s appetite. The survey does not set the service charge and does not bind an insurer. EWS1 and cladding questions are separate again, and only where the external wall is the issue.

Ask the solicitor about the user clause, the hours of the shop, and who repairs the floor between you. Ask the surveyor whether they saw the underside of that floor. Usually they did not. There is no price here for upgrading fire separation. Do not invent one from a cafe you sat in for twenty minutes.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Did you enter the shop, or only the flat?
Could you see the floor construction?
Are you commenting on noise, fire, or damp? Keep them apart.

What are the typical next steps?

Read the lease for use and repairs before you treat the shop as a charming extra.
Do not rely on a Saturday visit being quiet as a sound test.
Tell insurers there is a shop. The survey is not a proposal form.

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 flat above a shop automatically unmortgageable?

This page does not say that. Lenders differ. Ask the lender about this building. The survey cannot answer for them.

Does the shop’s EICR cover the flat?

Only if the certificate says so. Do not assume a commercial test includes your consumer unit.