Leasehold

You are told you will own a share of the freehold and the roof hatch was locked. Does the share give the surveyor access?

No. A promised share of the freehold does not give the surveyor access through a locked roof hatch. The share is a legal interest the solicitor has to read in the documents. It is not a key, and it was not used on the day. The hatch stayed locked, so the roof void beyond it was not inspected. The survey records that limit. It has not decided that you already own the share, or that the structure above the hatch is sound.

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?

Share of freehold is a way of holding the building, often through a company or a shared title, and the paperwork says who can decide about roofs and access. A sentence from the seller is not that paperwork. The surveyor inspects what can be opened on the visit. A locked hatch is a closed door whatever the sale brochure says about ownership. The joists, felt and party separations above it were not seen. Legal interest and physical access are different things.

Ask the solicitor to confirm whether a share of freehold is actually being sold, in what vehicle, and who holds keys to common parts. Ask the seller for access if you need the void inspected before you rely on it. A second look with the hatch open would be a new visit, not a correction written from the locked one. Tell a lender the roof space beyond the hatch was not inspected. Do not describe unseen timber as sound because a share was promised.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Does a future share of freehold unlock a hatch that was locked?
Was the roof void beyond the hatch inspected?
Has the survey decided that the share is already yours?

What are the typical next steps?

Treat the locked hatch as no inspection of the void above it.
Ask the solicitor to confirm the freehold share in the documents.
Arrange a further look only if the hatch is actually opened.

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

Has the survey found that you already own the freehold share?

No. Ownership of a share is a title question. The surveyor was told a share would be yours and found a locked hatch. Being told is not reading the register or the company papers. The solicitor has to confirm what is actually sold. The survey has not awarded you the share and has not inspected the roof void.

Does a locked hatch count as a look at the roof structure?

No. Structure you cannot see has not been inspected. The hatch was the way into that void and it stayed shut. Coverings seen from outside, if any, are not the same as the timbers above the hatch. The report should be read with that gap. Do not fill it with an assumption that the wood is sound.