Condition ratings
One bedroom stayed locked. Why can damp comments for that room be NI when the hall was rated?
Only the hall was available for a damp rating. The locked bedroom was not entered, so damp comments for that room can be NI even though the hall carries a number. A rating needs somewhere the surveyor stood. A shut door is not a dry room. Do not copy the hall's mark through the lock, and do not treat the blank bedroom as a pass.
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?
NI means not inspected. A locked bedroom was not inspected, so damp comments for it belong at NI if they are made at all. The hall was entered, so the hall can carry a rating: rating 1 if no repair is currently needed, rating 2 if a repair is needed but is not serious or urgent, or rating 3 if what they found is serious or urgent. None of those numbers walks through a locked door. Walls, floors and ceilings in the bedroom were not seen. A blank is not rating 1. Copying the hall's rating into the bedroom would pretend an inspection that did not happen.
Ask for the room to be opened and, if it matters before you commit, for a further look. The what to do now note advises you. It does not invoice the seller, and it does not treat NI as a defect or as a pass. You cannot tell a lender the bedroom was dry. Concealed parts of the hall are a separate limit: even the rated hall does not guarantee that what is behind its plaster is sound. The bedroom is simpler. It was not entered. Until the key is produced, leave that room's damp line as not inspected.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the locked bedroom NI for damp, rather than sharing the hall's rating?
- What exactly was rated in the hall?
- Can the room be opened so the blank can be replaced?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not copy the hall's damp rating into the locked room.
- Ask for access before you treat that bedroom as known.
- Tell nobody the unseen room was dry.
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 hall is rating 3, is the bedroom likely the same?
You do not know. Likelihood is not a rating. NI stays NI until someone goes in.
Does a photo of the door count as inspecting the room?
No. The door is the door. The surfaces inside were not seen.