Condition ratings
A pool cover stayed on and the pool is NI. What water-tightness has that mark not ruled in or out?
The mark has not ruled water-tightness in or out. The pool cover stayed on and the pool is NI. NI means not inspected, not a pass. The shell, the waterline, and any lining were not seen, so the survey has not said the pool is water-tight and has not said it leaks. Rating 1 would mean no repair currently needed, and that rating was not given. A cover left on is the reason for NI. It is not a hidden pass on water-tightness.
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 what the survey prints when an element was not inspected. A pool with the cover kept on is a clear case: the surveyor did not see the container that holds the water. Water-tightness is exactly the quality that cover hides. You cannot read NI as sound, and you cannot read it as failed. If the surveyor were concerned about a part they could not check, the report should say what further investigation is needed. Silence plus NI is still not a rating.
Read NI on the pool as not inspected, and do not treat water-tightness as settled. Ask the surveyor whether they have a concern beyond the cover staying on. If you need the shell seen, arrange a look with the cover off, which this visit did not include. Tell the solicitor the pool was NI. Do not describe it as water-tight in anything you send on.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Why is the pool marked NI rather than given a condition rating?
- What of the shell stayed hidden under the cover?
- Has water-tightness been ruled in, ruled out, or neither?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read NI on the pool as not inspected, not as a pass.
- Ask whether there is any concern beyond the cover staying on.
- Arrange a look with the cover off if the shell needs to 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 the cover looks new, can NI be read as water-tight?
No. A new-looking cover is the cover. NI means not inspected, not a pass, and water-tightness was not ruled in or out. The shell stayed hidden. Neat fabric over a pool does not become rating 1, which would mean no repair currently needed, and that rating was not given.
Would rating 1 have been available if the shell had been seen and judged sound?
Only if the shell had been seen and the surveyor had judged that no repair was currently needed. That is what rating 1 means, and it was not the mark. The cover stayed on, so the pool is NI. Water-tightness was not inspected, and a hypothetical rating 1 cannot be pencilled in now.