Age and type of house
The loft under a thatched roof was not entered. Can the survey say whether a non-breathable layer sits under the coat?
No. If the loft under the thatch was not entered, the survey cannot say whether a non-breathable layer sits under the coat. The outside coat and the ridge may still be described from a safe viewpoint. The underside, the rafters and any felt or board against the thatch stayed unseen. A hatch is entered only if it is no more than 3 metres up and it is safe. An unentered roof space is not a claim that the thatch can breathe.
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?
Thatch is often discussed as a covering that needs to dry to the inside as well as shed rain on the outside. A felt, a board, a spray lining or a painted ceiling under the rafters can change that. None of those layers is visible from the garden. If the hatch was too high, unsafe, or simply not opened, the surveyor must not guess which layer is there. They can still describe the coat thickness they could judge from outside, the ridge, the netting and the eaves. That outside view is not the underside.
Ask the report to mark the roof space as not inspected and to avoid any sentence that the thatch is breathing, dry in the rafters, or free of a modern underlayer. Do not lift the hatch yourself on a viewing if the firm has already judged it unsafe. A later visit with proper access is a new instruction. Sellers sometimes remember a felt being added. Memory is not the inspection. Until someone is in the loft, both a breathable and a non-breathable story are unproved, and the rating must not pretend otherwise.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Why was the loft not entered: height, safety, a screwed hatch, or no hatch at all?
- What could you still say about the coat and the ridge from outside?
- Have you avoided any claim about felt, board or a non-breathable layer under the thatch?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the underside of the thatch as unseen in your decision.
- Do not write 'the thatch can breathe' in your own notes.
- If the underside matters, instruct a visit that can enter the loft safely.
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
Can the ridge tell you what layer is under the coat?
No. The ridge is the outside cap. Felt and board live underneath, and this loft was not entered.
Is an unentered loft the same as a sound loft?
No. Not inspected means the space was not seen. It is not a quiet pass for the rafters or the thatch underside.