Condition ratings
Rating 3 and the words urgent investigation are on the same chimney line. Does the rating itself appoint the person who will investigate?
No. The rating does not appoint the person who will investigate. Rating 3 means a defect needing serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. The words urgent investigation on the same chimney line say that investigation is needed. They do not name a contractor, open an instruction or choose a specialist. The survey has flagged the chimney. Someone still has to be asked to do the investigation. The rating is a condition grade, not an appointment letter.
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 sorts urgency for the element it is attached to. On this line the element is the chimney, and rating 3 plus those words means do not leave the question sitting. It can mean the stack, the flue, the pots or the flashings need a proper look. The surveyor has not become your agent to hire that person, and has not accepted a specialist's later opinion in advance. NI would mean not inspected, not a pass. This line was rated, not left as NI.
Choose the investigator yourself, matched to what the chimney line actually describes, and ask the solicitor to keep that instruction separate from the survey. A chimney specialist, a roofer or a structural adviser may be the right next person, and the report does not pick among them by printing rating 3. Tell a lender the chimney is rating 3 and that investigation is still outstanding. Do not say a person has been appointed because the words appear on the line.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does rating 3 name the person who must investigate the chimney?
- Do the words urgent investigation open a contract with a specialist?
- Would NI on that line have meant the chimney had passed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read rating 3 as a grade, not as an appointment.
- Choose an investigator to match the chimney sentence in the report.
- Tell a lender the investigation has not yet been carried out.
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 rating 3 mean the chimney was opened up on the day?
No. Rating 3 means serious and/or urgent repair, replacement or investigation. It records the need. It does not say the stack was opened, the flue cored or a specialist already used. Urgent investigation means that work is still to do. The survey flagged the chimney. The opening-up, if it is required, has not happened inside this report.
What would NI have meant if it had been used instead?
NI means not inspected, not a pass. It would have said the chimney element was not inspected, rather than giving it rating 3. This line uses rating 3 and the words urgent investigation, so it is a rated defect, not an NI gap. Neither code appoints a person. NI would still have left you needing a proper look.