Condition ratings
The garage is marked not applicable and the shed is marked NI. Why are those two marks not interchangeable?
They are not interchangeable because they answer different questions. Not applicable on the garage means there is no garage element to inspect or to rate, so the form is refusing to score something that is not there. NI on the shed means a shed exists and was not inspected. NI means not inspected, not a pass. Swapping the marks would either invent a garage or pretend the shed had been judged. Rating 1 would mean no repair is currently needed, and neither of these marks says that. Read each mark against the element it sits on.
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?
A condition rating describes what was inspected. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. Rating 3 means serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. NI is the alternative when the element was not seen: no access, a locked door, stored goods, or a scope limit. Not applicable is plainer still. It says the element is absent, so there is nothing to rate and nothing that was skipped. Treating the shed's NI as not applicable would delete a building that is standing there uninspected.
Ask the surveyor, if it is unclear, why the shed was NI and whether they have a concern that needs further investigation. Do not rewrite NI as rating 1 because the shed looked harmless from the gate. Do not add a garage the form says is not applicable. Tell the solicitor about an outbuilding that was not inspected if you intend to rely on it. The two marks stay on their own lines. They do not borrow meaning from each other.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does not applicable mean there is no garage to rate?
- Does NI on the shed mean the shed was not inspected?
- Would rating 1 be a fair swap for either mark?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the garage mark and the shed mark on their own lines.
- Ask why the shed was NI if you need to rely on it.
- Do not rewrite NI as a pass or as not applicable.
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
What should the report do if the surveyor is worried about an NI shed?
RICS expects the report to say what further investigation is needed where the surveyor is concerned about a part they could not check. NI itself is not that investigation, and it is not a pass. Ask if a concern was meant and not written. Do not invent the concern, and do not invent a rating 3.
If a garage is built later, does today's not applicable become NI?
No. Not applicable describes this report and this plot as they were. A future garage is not an element the survey failed to enter. It would be a new building, outside this inspection. NI is for something that was there and was not seen, such as the shed. Do not store the garage mark up as a rating in waiting.