Seller-side surveys
The seller offers indemnity insurance instead of opening up a beam the survey could not see. What condition of the beam does a policy not reveal?
The policy does not reveal the condition of the beam at all. Indemnity insurance is a contract about who carries a risk if a problem later comes to light. It does not open the ceiling, does not look at the beam, and does not say whether the timber or steel is sound, decayed, undersized or altered. The survey could not see the beam and has said so. A policy offered instead of opening up leaves that limitation where it was. The beam's condition stays unknown.
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?
An indemnity policy, where an insurer is willing to offer one, typically responds to a defined loss on set terms. It is not a description of wood, steel, bearings or connections. The survey stopped because the beam was covered. Insurance does not finish that inspection by another name. You can hold a policy and still have a beam that is rotten, cut, or bearing on nothing much. The paperwork and the timber are different facts, and only one of them is being offered.
Ask the solicitor what the draft policy actually covers, what it excludes, and whose name it would be in. Ask the seller, through the solicitor, whether opening up is still possible if you would rather see the beam than insure the gap. Do not let the offer stand in for the missing description. The survey has not become able to see the beam because a policy was mentioned, and it has not approved the insurance as a repair.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which beam could you not see, and what was covering it?
- Does your report contain any condition comment on that beam, or only a limitation?
- Would a later opening up still be needed before the beam can be described?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the policy as insurance paperwork, not as a look at the beam.
- Ask the solicitor what the draft policy would and would not cover.
- If you need the beam described, ask for opening up rather than a policy.
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 an insurer will issue a policy, has the beam been found sound?
No. An insurer prices a risk. Issuing a policy does not mean anyone has seen the beam or found it sound. The survey could not see it. The condition remains unrevealed, whether or not a policy is later put on risk.
Can the policy describe rot the survey could not see?
No. A policy does not describe rot, insect attack, or a cut end. It may or may not pay out later under its own terms, which the solicitor should read. It does not supply the sentence the survey could not write because the beam stayed hidden.