Condition ratings
The roof covering was recorded from the pavement with binoculars. Why might that line be NI instead of rating 1?
Only the part that binoculars could pick out from the pavement was available to judge, which is why that covering line may be NI rather than rating 1. A distant look is not a close inspection of fixings, moss in the laps, or the far slope. Rating 1 would claim no repair is currently needed. If they could not inspect it properly, the honest mark is that it was not inspected.
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?
Binoculars from the pavement extend a ground view. They do not put the surveyor on the slope. Fixings, the far pitch, a valley in shadow, and the back of a chimney can all stay out of that view. NI means not inspected. It is the honest mark when the covering could not be judged, and it is not a polite way of writing rating 1. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed, which is a positive judgement. A blank, or a line that admits the view was too distant, must not be read as that judgement. If some defects were clear through the glasses, those defects can still be described, while the unseen remainder stays NI.
No survey level guarantees that concealed parts are sound, and a pavement view conceals more than a loft view does. A hatch, where it is safe and no more than 3 metres up, tells you about the underside, not about a distant outer face the binoculars missed. The what to do now note advises you. It does not invent a rating for a line left NI, and it does not invoice the seller for a roof nobody got close to. Before you exchange, ask the firm whether a closer inspection is possible, or instruct a roofer who can see the slopes the glasses could not. Do not tell yourself the covering passed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which slopes were only seen through binoculars from the pavement?
- Which of those slopes are NI, as against which defects you could still call?
- Would a closer look have been possible, or was access the limit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not read a binoculars line as rating 1.
- Ask which slopes were not inspected at all.
- Arrange a closer look if you need a rating rather than NI.
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 binoculars showed a slipped slate, can that slate still be rated?
Yes. A defect they could see can be described. The rest of the unseen slope can remain NI.
Does a clear photo from the kerb replace an inspection?
No. A photo shows that frame. It does not inspect fixings the lens did not resolve.