Roofs and flat roofs
Soakers are missing where a lean-to meets the wall. Have the flashings been lifted to prove the gap?
No. The flashings have not been lifted. Soakers are missing where the lean-to meets the wall, and that was noted without opening the junction. Soakers are the pieces that should interleave with the covering. The cover flashing dresses over them. Leaving it in place means the gap behind has not been proved by lifting. The survey records missing soakers on this visit. It has not opened the flashing to show the void underneath.
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?
Water at this abutment runs down the wall and off the small roof. Soakers and a cover flashing are there to keep it out of the joint. If the soakers are absent, the flashing may hide a gap. You prove that by lifting it, and this visit did not. A dry day does not trace the leak. Missing soakers are what could be seen. The space under the flashing is not a lifted proof.
Tell the solicitor the soakers are missing and the flashings were not lifted. A roofer can lift the cover flashing, confirm the gap and put a proper detail back. The survey has not instructed that and has not water-tested the abutment. Do not tell a lender the junction was opened and found sound, or found to be leaking. It was not opened.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are the soakers missing along the whole abutment?
- Is the cover flashing still dressed over the junction?
- Does any inside stain line up with this meeting?
What are the typical next steps?
- Report missing soakers without saying the flashing was lifted.
- Have a roofer lift the cover flashing and confirm the gap.
- Do not describe the abutment as water-tested.
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
Are soakers the same piece as the cover flashing?
No. Soakers interleave with the covering where the lean-to meets the wall. The cover flashing is the strip dressed over that junction. The survey says the soakers are missing. It did not lift the flashing to prove the gap beneath. They are different pieces. An unlifted flashing does not become a soaker, and a missing soaker does not rename it.
Do missing soakers prove water is already in the wall?
No. They prove the soakers are not there. The flashings were not lifted and the junction was not water-tested, so water inside the wall is not proved. Any stain would be a separate note. Do not turn missing soakers into a measured leak. The gap under the flashing was not opened up.