Leasehold

The heat pump for this flat sits on the communal roof the surveyor did not access. What of that unit was not inspected?

The outdoor unit, and everything that can only be seen on that roof, was not inspected. The surveyor did not get onto the communal roof, so the casing, the mounts, the pipe connections at the unit, the condensate route and the roof covering under the feet were not viewed. A label in the flat, or a pipe in a riser, is not the machine. The report can note that a heat pump is said to serve this flat and that the roof was out of reach. It has not judged the unit or how it bears on the shared roof.

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?

Leasehold roofs are often closed to a buyer’s inspection of one flat. The survey stops at the access that was given. An external unit on a shared roof can spill water, load a deck, or be fixed through a covering the flat does not control. None of that can be checked from the landing. Indoor controls, if they were seen, only show that a controller exists. They do not show a damaged fan, a failed isolator or standing water at the feet. What was not accessed was not inspected.

Ask your solicitor who owns and repairs plant on the communal roof, and whether the lease allows this flat to put a heat pump there. The survey has not interpreted the lease and has not seen the unit. Request any licence, installation note and roof warranty that mentions the plant. A lender should be told the external unit was not inspected. If its condition matters, arrange roof access with the landlord or the managing agent. This visit cannot be rewritten as though that access happened.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What, if anything, of the system was visible inside the flat?
Does the lease or a licence mention plant on the communal roof?
Who does the pack say is responsible for the outdoor unit?

What are the typical next steps?

Treat the rooftop heat pump as not inspected.
Ask the solicitor who maintains plant on the communal roof.
Arrange access if the unit itself needs to be seen.

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 an indoor controller prove the rooftop unit serves this flat?

Not fully. A controller can be linked to equipment the surveyor could not trace across a roof that was closed. The visit did not reach that roof and did not test the circuit. Ask for a diagram or an installer's note. Until then the link is described, not followed out to a machine that was inspected.

Can a managing agent's photograph replace the missing access?

A photograph can show a unit was there on some date. It is not this survey's inspection of mounts, pipework and the covering underneath. Do not read the report as if the surveyor saw what someone else's picture shows. If you rely on a photo, say whose it is. The visit itself did not reach the roof.