Condition ratings
The words further investigation sit next to a rating 2. What appointment has that phrase not already made?
No appointment has been made. The words further investigation sit next to a rating 2, and they recommend that someone look more closely. They do not book that person, pay them, or put a date in a diary. A rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. The phrase does not upgrade the rating, and it does not commission the specialist. The survey has written a recommendation. It has not already made the appointment.
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?
Further investigation is an instruction to you, not a completed referral. The surveyor has said the defect needs a closer look than this inspection could give. The paragraph is what you read. The words alone have not chosen the firm, agreed a scope, or opened an instruction. Rating 2 still means repair that is not serious or urgent. It is not a rating 3, and it is not a rating 1, which would mean no repair currently needed.
You make the appointment if you want the investigation, using the paragraph to say what should be looked at. Tell the solicitor that the phrase has not already commissioned anyone, so there is no report on its way unless you instruct one. Do not wait for a specialist the survey never hired. NI, where it appears elsewhere, means not inspected, not a pass. It is not what these words mean. Here the rating is a 2 plus a recommendation you still have to act on.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which appointment, if any, did the words further investigation already make?
- What does the rating 2 mean beside that phrase?
- Who has to instruct the closer look the paragraph describes?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read further investigation as a recommendation, not a booking.
- Use the paragraph to brief any specialist you choose to appoint.
- Do not wait for a report nobody has been instructed to write.
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 surveyor named a trade, is that trade already hired?
No. Naming a trade tells you the kind of person to call. It does not hire them. The words further investigation have not made the appointment, even when the paragraph is specific. A rating 2 still means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. You still have to instruct the look yourself.
Does rating 2 plus those words equal a rating 3?
No. A rating 3 would mean serious or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. These words sit next to a rating 2, which means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. The recommendation does not silently change the number. Read the rating that was given, and make your own appointment if you want the further look.