Roofs and flat roofs
The roof void is marked not inspected because the hatch was screwed shut. What of the rafters has not been seen?
The rafters inside that void have not been seen. A hatch screwed shut kept the surveyor out of the roof space, so the slopes, the underfelt, the purlins and the rafter feet were not inspected. Tiles viewed from outside, if they were viewed, are not a sight of those timbers. The report marks the void not inspected. It has not decided the rafters are sound because the covering looked even from the ground.
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?
Rafters are the sloping timbers that carry the roof covering. Their condition shows at splits, sagging, damp staining and the feet where they meet the wall plate, all of which sit in the void. Screws in the hatch are a physical stop. They are not a comment on the timber. Insulation, tanks and party separations in the same space were likewise unseen. The limitation is the whole void, and the rafters are part of what that limitation withholds.
Ask for the hatch to be opened and the void inspected if you need a view of the rafters. Tell your solicitor the roof space was not entered. Do not tell a lender the roof structure was checked. A later visit can record what this one could not. Until the screws come out and someone looks, the rafters remain unseen, whatever the outside slopes suggest.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the screwed hatch keep the whole void unentered?
- Were the rafter feet included in that unseen area?
- Does the outside covering get kept separate from the timber?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the rafters as not seen while the hatch stays screwed shut.
- Ask for the void to be opened if the timbers must be inspected.
- Tell the solicitor the roof space was not entered.
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
Could daylight through a tile still describe the rafters?
No. A chink of light, if one were noticed from below a closed hatch, would not be a view of the rafters, and this void was not entered at all. The survey did not study the timbers by any indirect glow. Not inspected means the rafters were not seen. Outside guesses do not replace that.
Was the ceiling below used as a substitute for the void?
No. Ceilings show finishes in the rooms. They do not show rafters, underfelt or the feet at the eaves. The hatch was the access, and it was screwed shut. A sound-looking ceiling does not cancel that limit and does not describe the timber above it.