Choosing a survey level
A Level 2 is offered on a thatched cottage. What should you ask the firm about whether that product is the one they use for this roof?
Ask the firm whether a Level 2 is actually the product they use for a thatched roof, or whether they would want a more detailed inspection of this one. An offer of a Level 2 names a standard product. It does not, by itself, say the firm is content to use it on thatch, where the coat, the ridge and the timbers under the thatch are easy to under-describe. The survey has not been done yet. The question is about the product, before you instruct it.
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?
Thatched roofs hide their structure, and a mid-level survey has limits on what is opened and what is reported. Some firms still offer Level 2 on a cottage and then fill the report with limits you only read afterwards. Asking up front whether this is the product they use for this roof forces a plain answer: yes, with these limits, or no, we would inspect it in more detail. You are not asking them to invent a defect. You are asking which service they are selling.
Put the question in writing to the firm, and keep the reply with the instruction. If they say Level 2 is what they use, ask what of the thatch and the roof timbers will be outside it. If they say they would rather do a more detailed survey, that is the product to discuss. Do not assume the cheapest named level is the one they stand behind for this roof. The offer on a website is not that conversation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is Level 2 the product you actually use for a thatched roof like this one?
- What of the thatch, the ridge and the hidden timbers would that product leave undescribed?
- If you would rather inspect this roof in more detail, which product is that?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the firm in writing whether Level 2 is their product for this thatch.
- If they say yes, ask what the thatch inspection will not cover.
- Do not instruct from a menu price until that answer is back.
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 firm surveys many cottages, can you skip the question?
No. Experience is not the same as saying this product is the one they will use here. A Level 2 offered on a thatched cottage still needs that answer. Ask what they will and will not describe in the coat and the timbers. A busy thatch practice can still be selling you the wrong level for this roof.
Does agreeing a Level 2 force them to lift the thatch?
No. Agreeing a product does not rewrite its limits. That is why you ask whether Level 2 is what they use for this roof, and what stays hidden if it is. The inspection has not happened. Nothing in the offer has lifted the thatch or promised that it will be lifted.