Electrics and gas
The indoor fan-coil for a split-system heat pump is in the loft, which was not entered. What part of the system is still unseen?
The indoor fan-coil, its pipework and its condensate route in the loft are still unseen. A split system puts an outdoor unit outside and a fan-coil indoors. The loft was not entered, so the survey did not see the coil, the insulation on the pipes, or where condensate is meant to go. An outdoor unit, even if it was seen, does not stand in for that indoor half. The survey has not decided the system is complete.
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?
Condensate from a fan-coil has to be carried to a safe outlet. In a loft that path can include a pump, a tray and a pipe across cold joists. None of those was inspected because the hatch was not used. Missing insulation on refrigerant pipes would also sit in that same unseen space. The survey cannot describe defects it did not reach, and it cannot clear them either. The loft half of the split system remains a blank.
Approved Document L is energy-performance guidance for building work. The survey does not issue a building-regulations certificate, and it does not decide eligibility for any grant. Ask the solicitor whether installation papers exist for the loft fan-coil, and keep them separate from this report. A heating engineer can enter the loft if access is arranged. Do not tell a lender the indoor unit was inspected. The visit stopped at the ceiling hatch.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the loft left unentered, so the fan-coil was not seen?
- Where the condensate goes from that coil, was that route unseen too?
- Are installation papers for the split system outside this report?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the loft fan-coil and its pipes as unseen.
- Ask the solicitor for installation papers without treating them as the survey.
- Do not say the indoor unit was inspected from the outdoor unit.
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 a controller downstairs prove the loft coil is connected?
A controller can call for heat or cooling without showing the coil, the pipes or the condensate route in the loft. This visit did not enter that space and did not prove the link. The screen downstairs is not the indoor unit. Connection of the hidden half stays unverified.
Has the survey decided a grant is available for this pump?
No. The survey does not decide grant eligibility and must not quote a grant figure. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant route in England and Wales toward a heat pump or biomass boiler, not in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and it was not assessed here. The unseen loft coil is a condition limit. It is not an application, and it is not a refusal.