Condition ratings
The roof structure is marked NI because there is no loft hatch. Why must that not be rewritten as a condition rating 1?
It must not be rewritten as condition rating 1, because NI means not inspected, not a pass. The roof structure is marked NI because there is no loft hatch. Rating 1 means no repair currently needed. That rating is a judgement on something the surveyor inspected. The rafters, the ceiling joists and the underside of the covering were not seen, so they were not given that judgement. Putting a 1 on an unseen roof would invent a clean bill. The letters NI are the limit. They are not a quiet way of saying the roof is fine.
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?
No hatch means no safe way into the roof void on this visit. RICS expects the report to say when a part that would normally be inspected could not be reached. The roof structure is that part. NI is the mark for it. It is not rating 2, which is for defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent, and it is not rating 3, which is serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. It is not inspected.
Leave the roof structure as NI and ask the surveyor whether they have any concern they could not check. If you need the void seen, arrange access, a hatch, or an inspection from outside that is actually able to see structure, as a new look rather than a new number on the old page. Do not tell a lender the roof was rating 1. The survey marked it NI because there was no loft hatch.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the roof structure marked NI solely because there was no hatch?
- Did you avoid rating 1 because the timbers were not seen?
- What further investigation, if any, did you say was needed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave NI as not inspected, and do not rewrite it as rating 1.
- Ask the surveyor whether the unseen roof prompted any concern.
- Arrange a way to see the void if you need a real rating of the structure.
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 ceilings below are straight, can the NI become a 1?
No. Straight ceilings are the ceilings. The roof structure was not inspected, and NI means not inspected, not a pass. Rating 1 would mean no repair currently needed, which requires the structure to have been seen. The hatch was missing, so the timbers were not rated. The ceilings do not donate them a rating.
Does NI on the roof covering mean the same as NI on the structure?
Only if the covering was also marked NI. This note is about the roof structure, unmarked by a condition rating because there is no loft hatch. The covering may have been seen from outside and rated on its own. Do not copy NI from the structure onto the tiles, and do not copy a tile rating back onto unseen timbers.