A note saying “roof satisfactory” can be ambiguous in a flat report. Does it refer to the roof over the subject flat, a visible part of the block or a separate structure? Was it inspected from the street, a communal landing or an accessible roof space?
When a Level 2 draft is prepared by an external writer, those distinctions must travel with the inspection findings. Otherwise, wording intended for one part of a building can appear to describe the whole block. A clear handover should identify the physical area, the extent of inspection and any question about responsibility for repairs.
Use the current RICS framework
Section 2.7 of the published RICS Home Survey Standard explains that leasehold surveys involve additional considerations because responsibilities and repairing covenants vary. For flats, inspection is usually limited to the subject property and accessible common parts and grounds. It also distinguishes the surveyor’s identification of relevant repair-liability matters from the legal adviser’s interpretation of the lease.
Checked on 1 November 2026, the RICS standards page continues to identify the first edition as the edition to use until the second edition takes full effect. The production suggestions below help communicate the surveyor’s findings; they do not replace the agreed inspection scope or create a block-wide assessment.
Describe the subject property before describing its elements
Give the writer a short description of the flat’s position within the building, the apparent building form and the areas associated with the instruction. Identify which entrance, stair, landing, external area or outbuilding each note concerns. Use consistent names throughout the pack.
Physical location and legal ownership are different questions. “Rear communal-looking courtyard” may describe how an area appeared, but it does not establish title, rights of use or liability. Where ownership has not been confirmed, the draft should not quietly turn the observation into a statement that the client owns or maintains that area.
Separate location, inspection and responsibility
| Field | What to supply | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Area or element | For example, the front roof slope above the block or the stair serving the subject flat. | Prevents a local finding becoming a whole-building statement. |
| Inspection extent | Vantage point, access obtained and the part actually seen. | Defines the evidence behind the wording. |
| Restriction | The specific inaccessible, concealed or excluded part and the surveyor’s explanation of its implications. | Preserves the boundary of the assessment. |
| Finding and advice | The surveyor’s observation, assessment, rating where applicable and intended recommendation. | Keeps technical decisions with the inspecting surveyor. |
| Responsibility enquiry | The particular repair, access or cost-sharing question requiring documentary or legal confirmation. | Avoids guessing who must arrange or pay for work. |
This is a suggested internal handover record, not an RICS-prescribed form. Adapt it to the property and the practice’s reporting template.
Make the limit local and understandable
A general sentence that communal areas were restricted is less useful than a located record. Explain which area was unavailable, why, and what could still be observed. A roof viewed externally from ground level should not be described as though its hidden structure was examined.
The writer can arrange those supplied facts into a readable paragraph, but should query a note that gives a conclusion without its extent. Our guide to recording inspection limitations covers the relationship between access, evidence and the surveyor’s advice.
Keep a physical defect separate from the payment question
Consider a fictional inspection note recording a leaking gutter at the front of a block, staining below and no confirmation of the repair arrangements. The draft can describe the surveyor’s findings and recommendation for attention. It should not say the freeholder will pay, the managing agent has accepted the work or the cost will be divided equally unless that information has been established and authorised for inclusion.
A useful accompanying enquiry identifies the gutter and asks the legal adviser to confirm the relevant responsibility and contribution arrangements. Keep the legal question connected to the defect without presenting an interpretation of the lease as a surveying finding. See our guide to specific legal enquiries in outsourced drafts.
Do not let a document widen the inspection
A managing agent’s letter, repair quotation or maintenance record may add useful context. It does not prove the current condition of an area that the surveyor could not inspect. Record the source and date, what the document relates to and the surveyor’s instructions on how it should affect the advice.
Likewise, a note about planned work should not become a promise that the work is funded, approved or imminent. Those are separate matters requiring appropriate evidence. If documents and inspection notes conflict, use the drafting query log rather than letting the writer choose an account.
Reconcile shared findings across the report
Before approving the draft, trace each significant shared-element finding through the relevant element section, limitations, legal enquiries, risks and overall opinion. Check that the same location and extent are used each time. A cautious description in one section should not become a confident assurance about the entire block in another.
Ask whether the wording distinguishes an observed defect, an inaccessible area and an unresolved responsibility. Check that recommendations remain appropriate to the agreed service and that no rating or repair conclusion has been inferred by the writer. Any late clarification should be carried into every affected section.
A clearer handover for outsourced flat reports
The Survey Edit provides surveyor report typing and outsourced Level 2 drafting support from your notes, photographs, template and instructions. Supply the location, inspection extent, limitations and intended advice for shared elements so the draft preserves those distinctions.
The inspecting surveyor decides the assessment and recommendations, reviews and amends the draft, approves it and issues the final report. Confirm that the property and instruction are suitable for the service before booking. Enquire about drafting support for your next Level 2 report.
You inspect. We write.