Choosing a survey level
A ladder reached one eaves hatch and the other roof slope has no hatch. What of the second slope was not walked?
The roof space under the second slope was not walked. The ladder reached one eaves hatch, and the other slope has no hatch, so the surveyor did not enter that void. The timbers, the felt and the underside of the second slope were not seen from inside, and they were not walked. Do not describe that slope's loft as inspected because the first hatch was opened. Two slopes are not one void. No hatch means that side was not entered.
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?
An eaves hatch shows the space you can reach from it, which may be one side of a party or a pitched roof and not the other. Boards, insulation and the underside of the covering tell you about that bay. They say nothing reliable about a second slope you could not crawl. If the covering of the second slope was seen from outside, that outside look is a different sentence. It is not a walk through the unseen loft.
Ask the surveyor to keep the entered void and the unentered slope apart in the report. Mark the second roof space as not inspected rather than borrowing the first slope's comments. If a decision depends on those timbers, the next step is access you do not yet have, not a guess from the hatch you do. Do not tell the lender both lofts were walked. One ladder, one hatch, one void.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which roof space did the single hatch let you walk?
- What of the second slope's underside was not seen?
- Will you keep that void as not inspected?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not claim the second slope's loft was walked.
- Separate any outside view of that slope from the unentered void.
- Ask what access would be needed before that roof space could 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
If insulation blocks the first hatch, was the second slope seen?
No. A blocked first hatch does not open a second slope that has no hatch. Neither void was walked if the ladder never got you into them.
Can comments on the first loft be copied across?
No. The timbers you saw belong to the void you entered. The second slope was not walked, so it does not inherit those comments.