Condition ratings
Rating 2 sits beside a sentence that names a roofer. Which part is the rating, and which part is the extra sentence?
The rating is the rating 2. The extra sentence is the one that names a roofer. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. That grade is the rating. The sentence beside it is advice about a trade who might do the work. It is not a second rating, not an appointment of a firm, and not a quote. The survey has not made the roofer's name into the condition grade. Read the digit as the rating and the trade as the extra words.
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?
RICS ratings are a scale for what was seen. Rating 1 would mean no repair currently needed. Rating 3 would mean serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. Rating 2 sits between them: repair is needed, without that seriousness or urgency. A helpful sentence can name a roofer so you know the sort of contractor. Naming is not a condition grade and not a finding that the defect has become urgent. The extra sentence does not outrank the rating printed beside it.
Tell the solicitor the condition grade is rating 2, and that the roofer is only named as the sort of person to ask. Get your own quote if you want a price. The survey has not priced the work and has not appointed the firm. A lender should hear the rating, not a story that a named roofer has already condemned the roof. NI would mean not inspected, not a pass, and that is a different mark from this rating 2.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What defect is the rating 2 actually attached to?
- Does the sentence name a trade in general, or appoint a firm?
- Has the report given this item rating 3 as well?
What are the typical next steps?
- Quote the rating 2 as the grade and the roofer sentence as advice.
- Get your own roofer's quote if you need a price.
- Do not tell the lender a firm was appointed by the survey.
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 naming a roofer appoint that firm to do the work?
No. The sentence names the sort of contractor. It does not appoint a firm, accept a quote or instruct work. The rating remains rating 2, which means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. Any appointment is yours, with the solicitor if the seller is to be involved. The survey has not hired anyone.
Is rating 2 the same thing as serious and/or urgent repair?
No. Serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation is rating 3. Rating 2 means defects that need repair but are not serious or urgent. The extra sentence that names a roofer does not promote the item to rating 3. Read the rating you were given. Do not let the trade mentioned beside it change the grade.