“Timber floors, carpeted” does not tell a report writer how the construction was established, which surfaces were visible or whether any subfloor area could be seen. It can also leave a local observation, such as movement beside a doorway, without a precise location or intended recommendation.

For surveyors using outsourced Level 2 report drafting, a floor record should distinguish the finish, your construction assessment and the inspection achieved. This gives the drafter enough information to prepare connected wording without turning a covered surface into an inspected structure.

Start with the inspection actually carried out

The RICS Level 2 inspection scope describes examining exposed floor surfaces without lifting coverings or floorboards or moving furniture. It also describes assessing excessive deflection by a heel-drop test and, where suitable unfixed access is present, an inverted head-and-shoulders view of subfloor areas when appropriate and safe.

That scope is a benchmark for the surveyor, not evidence that a particular action occurred. Tell the writer what you did, where you did it and what restricted the inspection. RICS’ Home Survey Standard page, checked alongside the scope on 10 November 2026, continues to direct members to use the first edition until the second takes full effect.

Use a room-by-room handover where conditions differ

A short schedule can prevent one room’s findings being applied to the whole storey. This is a suggested production aid, not an RICS-prescribed form. For each relevant area, record:

  • Location and covering: identify the room, floor level, visible finish and any area obscured by contents.
  • Construction assessment: supply your description and its basis. Mark an inferred or unconfirmed construction accordingly.
  • Method and extent: record the exposed surfaces examined, any deflection assessment and any subfloor view actually achieved.
  • Findings and decisions: locate the observation, link the photographs and supply your assessment, rating where applicable and intended advice.

A covering and a structural floor are different descriptions. A photograph of laminate, tiles or carpet should not prompt the writer to select a concealed floor construction. Equally, a construction assessment supplied for the front room should not automatically describe a later kitchen addition.

Describe a hatch view precisely

If a subfloor view was possible, identify the access point, viewing method and visible area. Record what prevented a wider view and which parts remained concealed. If access was unavailable, state the reason rather than leaving a blank that could be read as an omission.

Keep observations within that boundary. A view of a few members close to a hatch does not support wording that the entire subfloor structure was examined. If a drafter cannot tell which room an image serves, the location needs your clarification before it becomes report wording.

A worked handover: local movement under a covering

In a fictional instruction, the surveyor records a carpeted front living room, noticeable local movement beside its doorway during a heel-drop assessment and no available subfloor access. The surveyor has not established the cause and instructs that further investigation of the affected area, with a quotation for necessary work, should take place before exchange.

The draft can connect the location, observed movement, concealed structure and supplied recommendation. It should preserve the unconfirmed cause. It should not introduce decayed joists, a failed support or a repair specification merely to make the paragraph sound complete.

The recommendation and its timing come from the surveyor’s fictional instruction; they are not an automatic response to every covered floor. If the pack says only “bouncy floor”, ask for the location, inspection findings, assessment and intended action through the drafting query log.

Check the description against the advice

At review, compare the floor description, local findings, limitations and summary. Confirm that no general statement of satisfactory condition contradicts the recorded concern, and that a restricted view has not become a whole-floor conclusion. Resolve the rating and any further investigation wording yourself before approval.

The Survey Edit prepares Level 2 drafts from your notes, photographs, supplied template and instructions. Our worked drafting example shows how supplied observations and unresolved causes can remain distinct. You retain the professional judgement, review and amend the complete draft, approve the advice and issue the final report. Discuss the handover for your next Level 2 report.

You inspect. We write.