Leasehold

What did the visit record about a share of freehold, about no access to the main roof, and about a legal share that does not equal an inspection?

The visit recorded a share of freehold, no access to the main roof, and the limit that a legal share does not equal an inspection. Share of freehold is a property interest, often a share in the company that owns the freehold, not a hatch. No access means the main roof was not entered and not closely seen. The survey cannot turn that share into a view of slates, felt or timbers that stayed out of reach. It has recorded the tenure words and the access limit. It has not decided the condition of the unseen roof.

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?

People mix up owning a share with being able to walk the roof. The share may let the company of owners decide about repairs, through whatever rules the company has. It does not put a ladder in the surveyor's hands. If the hatch was locked, or the roof was unsafe to reach, the covering was not inspected. Stains in a top-floor ceiling, if any were seen, are not a substitute for being on the roof. The legal interest and the unseen covering should be written as two facts.

Tell the solicitor you have a share of freehold to check, and that the main roof was not accessed. Ask the company or the agent for any roof reports they already hold. Do not tell a lender the roof was inspected because you will own a share. A roofer can look later, with access arranged, which this visit did not have. The survey's silence on the covering is an access limit, not a clean bill disguised as ownership.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Was the main roof wholly without access, or only partly seen from the ground?
Is the share of freehold a company share rather than a physical right of entry?
Have you kept the unseen roof out of any condition rating?

What are the typical next steps?

Record the share of freehold and the closed roof as separate facts.
Ask the solicitor to check the company share and its rules.
Do not describe the main roof as inspected.

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

Does owning a share let the surveyor insist on roof access?

No. A share of freehold is a legal interest. It does not equal an inspection, and it did not unlock the main roof on this visit. Access depends on keys, safety and permission on the day. The survey recorded that it had none. Ownership language in the papers does not fill the gap.

If the loft of the flat was seen, has the main roof been seen too?

Not necessarily. A flat loft, where it exists, is not the main roof covering. The visit recorded no access to that main roof. Timbers inside one flat do not show the slates or the felt of the block. The share of freehold does not change that. The covering stays uninspected.