Choosing a survey level
A screw-fixed bath panel stayed on during a Level 2. Is that a failure to follow the level?
Not a failure. A screw-fixed bath panel is a secured panel, and a standard Level 2 does not take secured panels off. Leaving it in place follows the inspection rather than breaking it. The surveyor can say the void behind the panel was not seen. That limit is the honest result, not a missed duty to fetch a screwdriver.
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?
The same restraint sits on a standard Level 1. Secured panels, electrical fittings and inspection-chamber covers are not removed on those visual inspections. Level 1 is narrower still: it does not test the fabric or the services, and it does not generally tell you how to manage the defects it notes. A Level 2 looks at a conventional home of simple form in more depth, but it is still not a licence to unfix every screwed panel in a bathroom.
What you should expect is a clear line that the panel stayed on and the space behind it was not inspected. You should not expect a photograph of the bath void presented as if the screws had come out. If the panel was loose, already off, or the seller had opened it, the surveyor may be able to see more, and the report should say what that extra view was. A panel that stayed screwed on is not evidence the level was ignored.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Will you state that the bath panel was secured and was not removed?
- Is the void behind it recorded as not inspected?
- Did any part of the bathroom come off because it was already loose?
What are the typical next steps?
- Accept a secured panel left in place as normal for Level 2.
- Read the report for an explicit not-inspected line on that void.
- Ask for a separate opening-up only if you need the hidden void seen.
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
Should a Level 3 have unscrewed it automatically?
Not as a standard promise. Ask what that instruction included. Concealed parts are not guaranteed at any level.
If you unscrew it yourself on the day, must the surveyor climb in?
Only if it is safe and they agree. Do not dismantle the bathroom in order to force a look.