Leasehold
The pack says the landlord is recovering major-works costs over time. Does the survey calculate what you would still owe?
No. A line in the pack that says major-works costs are being recovered over time is a payment story. The survey does not calculate the balance you would still owe, does not set the instalments, and does not know what has already been demanded from this flat. Condition comments about the completed works are not an amortisation table.
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?
Major works are sometimes billed in one demand and sometimes spread, and the pack may say which without attaching the arithmetic. The surveyor did not see the original contract sum, the interest if any is being added, the payments this seller has already made, or the clause that passes the remainder to a buyer. Inventing a remaining balance from the look of a new roof is how buyers double-count: they chip the price for a roof that has been renewed and also assume they will pay the whole contract again through the service charge.
Ask the solicitor for the notice, the total, the amount already collected and the amount still attributed to this flat. Read that beside the survey so you know whether the works the surveyor saw are the works being paid for. The survey can say the new covering looks sound, or that detailing still looks poor. It cannot say you owe a particular sum on completion. There is no rating that equals a monthly repayment, and you should not write one in the margin.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see the payment schedule, or only the finished works?
- Can you tell completed work from work still being billed? Only if the papers say so.
- Which comments describe quality, as distinct from what is still owed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for the remaining balance on this flat.
- Do not calculate instalments from the appearance of the works.
- Avoid deducting the whole project from the price and paying it again.
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
If the roof looks new, is the bill finished?
Not necessarily. A new covering can still be mid-way through a recovery. The pack, not the photograph, says where the payments stand.
Does spreading the cost change the condition rating?
No. How the landlord collects money does not re-rate the fabric the surveyor saw.