Condition ratings
Fitted units hide the kitchen floor. Why is NI more honest there than condition rating 1?
Only the part that was seen beyond the plinths can be judged, which is why NI is more honest for a kitchen floor hidden by fitted units than rating 1. Rating 1 would say no repair is currently needed. The boards or screed under the units were not there to be judged. A clear walkway between cupboards is not a survey of the covered floor.
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?
Fitted units, plinths and fixed appliances cover the kitchen floor. The surveyor walks the space that is left. They do not pull kitchens apart. The covered area was not inspected, so NI is the honest mark for it. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed, which is a positive finding about something that was considered. Applying it to a floor nobody could see would turn a blank into a pass. The walkway, if it was seen and needs nothing now, can be rating 1 for that walkway alone, and the report should say the limit. A blank under the units is not that walkway.
Concealed floors are not guaranteed sound. A leak under a sink, a rotten end, or a damp screed can sit under a plinth and never appear in the aisle. The what to do now note advises you. It does not invoice the seller to dismantle the kitchen, and it does not award rating 3 to a floor that was simply hidden. If a stain, a smell, or a soft board was found in the open part, that finding can be rated on its own. Ask the surveyor to keep NI on the covered part. Do not tell the lender the kitchen floor passed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which part of the kitchen floor was actually visible?
- Is the area under the units marked NI?
- Did any defect in the walkway change what you can say about the hidden part?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask for NI under the units rather than rating 1.
- Do not describe the kitchen floor as passed.
- Rate only the walkway if that is all that was 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
If a plinth was loose and they looked under, is the whole floor inspected?
Only the gap they looked through. Do not stretch one lifted plinth across the run of units.
Does a rating 1 walkway mean the sink base is dry?
No. The sink base was covered. Dry boards in the aisle do not speak for it.