Seller-side surveys
The seller locked the loft, and later says the roof passed. What condition mark was actually available for that roof space?
Not inspected. With the loft locked, the surveyor could not enter that roof space, so the mark available for it is NI, meaning not inspected, or a limitation saying it was not seen. It is not a pass and it is not a rating 1. The seller should not later say the roof passed. A hatch is entered with a ladder only if it is no more than 3 metres up and it is safe. A locked hatch is not that inspection.
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 is the useful word because it refuses to pretend. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed, beyond normal maintenance, and it can be given only to something that was inspected. A locked loft was not inspected. The report should say so. If you, as seller, read NI or a locked-hatch limitation and then tell the next viewer the roof passed, you are replacing the surveyor's mark with a word they did not use. The roof covering may have been seen from outside. That outside look is not the roof space.
The three-metre ladder rule is a limit on how a hatch is entered, not a reason to call an unseen loft acceptable. If the hatch was locked, the ladder test never started. Standard inspections do not force entry. What you can do is unlock the hatch for a proper visit if one is still to happen, and stop describing the missed space as a pass. Concealed timbers, felt and tanks stay unseen. Say that plainly to your solicitor if a buyer asks whether the loft was included.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the report mark the roof space NI or say the hatch was locked?
- Was any outside view of the covering written up separately from the loft?
- Are you about to tell a buyer the roof passed when the loft was not entered?
What are the typical next steps?
- Use NI or not seen. Do not say the roof space passed.
- Unlock the hatch if a further inspection is agreed.
- Keep the outside roof comment separate from the unseen loft.
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
Is NI the same as rating 1?
No. NI means not inspected. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed on something that was seen.
Does a locked loft fail the three-metre rule?
The ladder rule applies when a hatch is entered, and only if it is safe and no more than 3 metres up. A lock means that entry did not happen.