Property types

What should a survey of a thatched home cover?

Thatch is a roof covering with its own fire, moisture and maintenance life. A home survey can describe the coat it could see, the ridge, and damp in the roof space if access allowed. It does not certify thatch as insurable. Unusual construction is one reason RICS gives for considering a Level 3.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless a source 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 surveyor judging when they rate thatch?

They are judging the covering they could see: thinning at the eaves, a ridge that has slipped, moss holding water, birds pulling at the face, and staining in the rooms or the loft. A thick roof can look picturesque and still be at the end of its coat. A new ridge on an old coat is a repair to the ridge, not a new roof. The paragraph should separate those.

Life ‘in years’ is something a thatcher may offer after they have seen the roof. A home survey is not required to invent a remaining life, and this page will not supply one.

Why do chimneys and wiring matter more under thatch?

A chimney that cracks, a flue that is used, and cables laid in the roof space are ordinary survey topics with a less ordinary consequence if heat or a fault meets dry thatch. The surveyor records what they could see. They do not sweep the flue, and they do not test the circuits. If the report suggests a specialist, that is a further instruction: a chimney sweep, a competent electrician, or both. It is not included in the visual inspection unless the terms say so.

Building regulations, including fire safety guidance in Approved Document B, apply when work is done. They are not a certificate that an old thatch already complies. Do not read a condition rating as that certificate.

Does a thatched roof ‘need to breathe’?

Thatch and the rooms under it cope badly with trapped moisture and with impermeable layers people add in the name of warmth. A survey can see felt pressed against the coat, insulation stuffed into a void, and staining. It should not specify a proprietary insulation. If you are planning energy work, listed or not, get advice from someone who will look at this roof. The ventilation guide explains what a visual note can and cannot prove.

Condensation on the underside is not the same defect as rain coming through a thin spot. Ask which one the surveyor means before anyone sells you a new coat.

Is thatch a reason to commission a Level 3?

RICS describes Level 3 as the survey for older, altered or unusual buildings. Thatch is an unusual covering for the purpose of that sentence. Level 2 can still be discussed if the firm, having heard the address and seen a photo, believes the home is straightforward and in reasonable condition. Ask them. Do not let a marketing page decide.

Whoever you appoint should be willing to say if they are not the right person for thatch. A surveyor who never sees rural roofs is allowed to decline. That is better than a thin report.

Common questions

The ridge looks new. Is the rest of the roof new?

Not from the ridge alone. Ridges are replaced more often than the main coat. The survey should describe each. If it only says ‘thatched roof’, ask for the condition of the coat, the ridge and the eaves as separate remarks.

There is wire netting over the thatch. Is that a defect?

Netting is often there to deter birds. It can also hide the face and hold debris. The surveyor says whether they could see the coat through it. Hidden is a limit, not a pass.

Will the survey satisfy an insurer?

Only if that insurer has agreed to accept it. Many want their own questions answered, sometimes by a specialist. Send them the report and ask. This site cannot say you will be offered cover.

Can you replace thatch with tiles to make life easier?

That is planning, and listed building consent if the house is listed, and a structural question about whether the roof was built to carry tiles. The survey can note the existing covering. It does not consent to a different one.

The survey mentions pests in the thatch. Is that dry rot?

No. Birds, insects and rodents are not fungal decay. Dry rot is a timber problem in the right damp conditions, covered in its own guide. Ask which material is affected: the coat, or the timbers under it.

Can you see the thatch from a bedroom?

Sometimes, in older roofs with no ceiling. That lets the surveyor see more of the underside and the timbers. It also means there is no separate loft to hide defects, or to hide wiring. Describe what is there. Do not call it a loft inspection if there is no loft.

The terrace next door is also thatched. Whose roof is leaking?

The survey is of the roof over the house in the instruction, from the access available. Water can cross a party line. If the surveyor could not tell which coat is leaking, that uncertainty is the finding. Do not invoice the neighbour from a stain.

Do lenders refuse thatch?

Some will lend on terms they set, some will not. Criteria change and are not in the RICS condition ratings. Ask the lender you intend to use, and tell them the roof is thatched before you spend the fee. This page will not name a bank.

Sources

Key facts

What a survey can see: The outer coat, the ridge, eaves, flashings at chimneys, and the underside if the loft is safe to enter. It cannot see the whole depth of a thick coat from the pavement.
Materials: Water reed, combed wheat reed and long straw behave differently. The survey should name the material if the surveyor can tell, and say if they cannot.
Fire and electrics: A thatched roof is a reason to take wiring, chimneys and flues seriously. A home survey does not produce an EICR. The electrics guide explains that limit.
Listing: Many thatched houses are listed. Many are not. Check the list. Do not infer listing from the roof covering.
Insurance: Some insurers specialise, and terms differ. This page has no premium and no refusal rate.