Leasehold

A dry-riser inlet is noted at the base of the block. What fire-service test of that riser was not part of the flat survey?

No fire-service test of that riser was part of the flat survey. A dry-riser inlet was noted at the base of the block, which means a cabinet or an inlet the surveyor could see. A fire-service test would charge the riser, try the valves and confirm the outlets. None of that was done. The flat survey records a fitting at street level. It does not test the riser and it does not certify the fire main.

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?

A dry riser is a pipe the fire service can fill in a tall block. The inlet at the base is the connection. Landing valves higher up were not part of looking at one flat unless they happened to be in a common area that was entered, and even then they were not pressure-tested. Noting the inlet stops a buyer pretending the block has no riser. It does not pretend the riser was proved. Maintenance records sit with the managing agent, not in a flat inspection.

Ask the solicitor for the block's fire-main or dry-riser records from the agent, and keep them apart from the survey note. Do not tell a lender the riser passed because the inlet was seen. The flat survey has not carried out a fire-service test. Condition inside your demise remains a different subject from a pipe that belongs to the common fire precautions.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What of the dry-riser inlet did you actually see?
Which fire-service test of the riser was outside the flat survey?
Did you pressure-test any valve, or only note the inlet?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the inlet note as a fitting seen, not a test.
Ask the solicitor for the block's riser records.
Do not describe the flat survey as a fire-service test.

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 inlet glass is unbroken, has the riser been tested?

No. Unbroken glass shows a cabinet that has not been smashed. It is not a fire-service test of the riser, and that test was not part of the flat survey. The pipe, the valves and the outlets remain untested by this inspection. A tidy front is not a charged main.

Does the survey of the flat include every landing valve?

No. The flat survey is the flat and the common parts actually entered. It does not tour every landing to test valves, and it does not carry out the fire-service test. An inlet noted at the base is the sentence you have. It is not a certificate for the whole riser.