Choosing a survey level
Does booking a Level 3 mean the surveyor will use a ladder taller than three metres?
No. The Level 3 description allows a ladder to a hatch only if it is no more than three metres and it is safe. Choosing the longer report does not waive that limit. If the hatch is higher, or the access is unsafe, expect the roof space to be not inspected rather than a guessed rating.
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?
Buyers pay for Level 3 and then argue that the loft should have been entered because the fee was higher. The inspection limit is about safety, not about price. A surveyor who declines an unsafe ladder is following that limit. NI means not inspected. It does not become rating 1 because you booked the top level, and it does not become rating 3 because you are disappointed. The rest of a Level 3 can still be fuller on the parts they could see.
If the loft matters, ask before the visit how high the hatch is and whether a safe arrangement exists. Do not bring your own tall ladder and expect them to use it. Do not stand on the landing and tell them the insurer needs a rating. There is no RICS exception that trades a Level 3 fee for a climb past the point they judge unsafe. If they could not enter, the report should say NI and you should decide whether another way of seeing the void is worth arranging.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How high is the hatch, and did you enter?
- If you did not enter, is the roof space NI?
- What else did Level 3 still cover without that void?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat a higher fee as permission to ignore a safe-access limit.
- Read NI as not inspected.
- Arrange a separate look only if the unseen roof space changes your decision.
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 they saw the loft through a small hatch without entering, is that an inspection of the void?
Only to the extent they describe. A glimpse is not a full walk around the roof space. Ask what was actually seen.
Can you rate the covering from the garden instead?
You can comment on what is visible from the ground. That is not the same as inspecting the timber inside a loft you could not enter.