Is a maisonette a flat?

In everyday use it is a type of flat spanning more than one floor, often with its own street door. What matters for the survey is how much of the building's structure sits inside your demise.

Is a flying freehold a problem?

Not inherently. It becomes a problem when maintenance obligations and access rights are undocumented, or when a lender declines. Both are legal and lending questions informed by the physical findings.

Should the neighbouring unit be inspected?

Where a shared roof, floor or drain is involved, the more that can be seen the better — but access to another owner's property is a matter for them to grant.

Maisonette survey (multi-storey residential unit)

Maisonette survey

Surveys for maisonettes: split demise, shared roofs and structure, flying freeholds and the repair liabilities that catch buyers out.

Ask KJ about a maisonette 01706 318200

Last reviewed 31 August 2026

What should a maisonette survey cover?

A maisonette occupies more than one floor within a larger building and usually has its own external door. A survey reports the unit's condition and pays particular attention to what is shared: roof, main structure, drainage and any part of the building above or below another owner's property. Repair liability in these buildings is frequently split in ways that surprise buyers.

At a glance

Defining feature: More than one floor, usually with its own front door.
Key risk: Shared or ambiguous responsibility for roof, structure and drainage.
Flying freehold: Where part of one property sits over another — flagged for legal checks.
Usual level: Level 2 for conventional units; Level 3 for older conversions.

The demise problem

In a purpose-built block the boundaries of ownership are usually clear. In a maisonette, especially one created by converting a house, they often are not. Roofs may be included in one unit's demise, excluded from both, or shared by an arrangement that has never been tested.

The survey identifies the physical elements whose ownership matters — roof coverings, main walls, the structure between floors, gutters, soil pipes and drains — so those are the ones your conveyancer checks in the title or lease.

Roof covering and who benefits from it
Structure and floors shared with the unit above or below
Shared drainage runs and rainwater goods
Access rights for maintenance to areas you do not control

Flying and creeping freeholds

Where part of a freehold property sits above land or property belonging to someone else, that is a flying freehold. It is not a defect, but it does raise practical questions: who maintains the structure, who has access, and whether an indemnity or a positive covenant arrangement exists.

Some lenders treat flying freeholds cautiously. The survey identifies the arrangement physically; the legal position and the lender's appetite are matters for your conveyancer and broker.

Sound, fire separation and services

Conversions frequently under-perform on sound transmission and, more seriously, on separation between units. Where the conversion predates current standards, the report notes what can be seen and recommends where building control records should be sought.

Services that run through another owner's property — a soil pipe, a flue, a supply — are recorded because they create long-term dependency that is hard to change later.

Who this is for

A good fit if

Buyers of upper or lower maisonettes, leasehold or freehold
Owners of a converted house split into two units
Anyone whose conveyancer has raised a flying freehold or shared roof point

Not the right choice if

Title interpretation, indemnity advice or covenant enforcement
Buyers of self-contained houses with no shared structure
Anyone needing a valuation figure without commissioning one

Sorting the responsibilities out

Three checks worth making before you exchange.

1.Establish who owns the roof
This single question drives more maisonette disputes than any other. Ask before you offer, not after.
Flat surveys
2.Check access rights for repairs
If you cannot reach the element you must maintain, the arrangement needs to be documented.
Leasehold valuations
3.Pick the level from the building's age
An older converted house means Level 3 in most cases. A modern purpose-built maisonette may not.
Compare survey levels

When to bring in a specialist

Suspected asbestos-containing materials: instruct a competent asbestos surveyor before any disturbance or removal.
Movement requiring calculations, monitoring design or remedial design: instruct a structural engineer.
Electrical installations, gas, drainage and fire safety: instruct the relevant competent professional for testing and certification.
Lease terms, title, tax and financing: your conveyancer or adviser, not your surveyor.

Common questions

Limitations and sources

Any survey is limited to what the surveyor can see and safely reach on the day. Areas behind finishes, under floors or beneath stored belongings are not opened up.
Ownership and repair liability are determined by the title or lease, which the survey does not interpret.
The neighbouring unit is not inspected unless access is separately arranged.
Nothing on this page is a professional opinion about a specific property. KJ Surveyors has not inspected your building, and general guidance cannot replace an inspection and report.

Source: RICS · checked August 2026

Source: LEASE · checked August 2026

Source: UK Government · checked August 2026

Last reviewed 31 August 2026.

Where to go next

flat surveys — for single-floor leasehold units.
apartment surveys — for purpose-built blocks with communal plant.
period property surveys — where the maisonette is part of an older house.

Unclear who repairs what?

Describe the arrangement to KJ — which floors, whose roof, whether it is leasehold or freehold. KJ will explain what the survey should establish and what to send your conveyancer.

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KJ gives general guidance only and has not inspected your property. A professional opinion follows an inspection by a surveyor.