RAAC

A flat-roof link might contain a RAAC plank and the soffit was not opened. Has the survey sampled the plank?

No. The survey has not sampled the plank. A flat-roof link that might contain RAAC was noted, and the soffit was not opened. RAAC is a form of concrete panel that needs investigation. A closed soffit does not identify the panel, show its bearings, or test it. The visit recorded a possibility and a lack of access. It has not decided that RAAC is present, and it has not decided that the link is free of it.

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?

Sampling would mean taking material from the panel and having it examined, which a visual home survey does not do. Leaving the soffit closed also means the underside, the span and the support at each end were not seen. A flat link can hide more than one panel type. The report can only say the question was raised and could not be answered from the surfaces on show. Guessing the make-up from the roof shape would overstate the visit.

Ask the solicitor for any building records, replacement notes or specialist reports about the link, and keep them separate from this inspection. A structural specialist can open the soffit and sample if that is instructed later. The survey has not booked that work and has not decided the plank is safe to leave. Tell a lender the soffit stayed closed so no sample exists from this visit. Do not describe the link as cleared of RAAC.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Was the soffit left closed so the plank was not seen?
Did this visit take any sample from the link?
Are building records for the flat-roof link outside the survey?

What are the typical next steps?

Treat RAAC in the link as unconfirmed and unsampled.
Ask the solicitor for records of the roof link construction.
Instruct a specialist if the soffit is to be opened and sampled.

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

Does a dry ceiling under the link clear the panel?

No. A dry ceiling is a finish below the link, not a view of the plank. Moisture staining would be a separate observation, and its absence does not identify the concrete. The soffit was not opened and nothing was sampled. Leave the panel as needing investigation rather than reading a clean ceiling as a clearance.

Could the link be a different panel entirely?

Yes. The survey has not decided that RAAC is present. Might contain is not does contain. Another concrete or timber construction could sit above that soffit. Only opening and proper investigation can separate those possibilities. This visit stopped at the closed lining and did not name the panel as a fact.