Condition ratings
Vinyl is glued to the kitchen floor and was not lifted. What timber or slab under it is outside the inspection?
The timber or the slab under the vinyl is outside the inspection. The covering is glued to the kitchen floor and was not lifted, so the survey could not see whether boards, joists or a concrete slab lie beneath. A glued sheet is not a view of the structure. The visit has recorded the limit. It has not graded the hidden floor, and silence under the vinyl is not a pass. The sheet stays the limit of what was seen.
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?
RICS condition ratings apply to what was inspected. Rating 1 would mean no repair currently needed, rating 2 defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent, and rating 3 a serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. NI means not inspected, not a pass. If the notes stop at the vinyl, they have not rated the timber or slab. Glue is why the covering stayed down. The survey does not lift a glued floor as part of an ordinary visual inspection, and it will not invent the construction.
If you need the floor construction, ask the seller whether any loose section can be seen, or accept a later opening once you own it. Tell the solicitor the vinyl was not lifted. Do not tell a lender the kitchen floor structure was satisfactory. A rating on the room, if one is given, is not a rating of the hidden deck. Leave that construction outside the notes.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the vinyl glued down and left unlifted?
- Is the timber or slab beneath it outside the inspection?
- Have you avoided rating a floor you could not see?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the hidden floor outside the inspection notes.
- Do not read the vinyl as a sound timber or slab floor.
- Tell the solicitor the covering was not lifted.
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
If the vinyl looks new, is the floor beneath a rating 1?
No. New vinyl describes the sheet. Rating 1 would mean no repair currently needed for something that was inspected. The timber or slab was not seen, so it was not given that rating. A fresh sheet is not the hidden floor.
Does glue damage explain why it stayed down?
Glue is why a careful survey leaves it. Lifting a bonded sheet can damage it, and this visit did not do that. The construction underneath stays outside the inspection either way. The reason for leaving it is not a view of the joists.