Leasehold
The bin-store roof throws water onto a wall of the flat. Has that splash been shown to be the cause of damp indoors?
No. The splash has not been shown to be the cause of damp indoors. The bin-store roof throws water onto a wall of the flat, which is an outdoor wetting path the survey could see. Water on the brick is not, by itself, proof of a stain or a moisture reading inside. Other causes, such as a leak above, a bridged course or condensation, are not excluded by the splash. The survey records the roof detail. It has not traced indoor damp back to that water by a test that isolates the source.
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?
A small roof without a gutter, or with a gutter that discharges at the wall, concentrates rain on one patch of brick. That can wet the outer leaf and, in time, show inside. It can also be a harmless splash beside an indoor mark that started in a bathroom above. The survey can stand outside and see the throw of water. It cannot assign the indoor symptom. A moisture reading, if one was used, still needs a sentence that links the two. The link has not been demonstrated.
Tell the solicitor about the bin-store detail, especially if the store is common and the repair is not solely yours. Ask who maintains it. Do not tell a lender the indoor damp was caused by that roof unless the report actually says so. A specialist can trace moisture if the cause has to be proved. The survey has given you a likely external path and has stopped there. Likely is not shown.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the bin-store roof seen throwing water onto the wall?
- Has that splash been isolated as the cause of damp indoors?
- Are other causes, such as condensation, still open?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the indoor cause as not proved.
- Tell the solicitor about the common bin-store roof.
- Do not upgrade a splash into a traced leak.
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
Does staining on the brick outside match a stain inside automatically?
Not automatically. Outside staining shows the splash is wetting the wall. An inside stain may line up with it, or it may not. The survey has not demonstrated the join. Ask whether the two were even observed together. Do not draw the line yourself and then say the report proved it.
If the bin store belongs to the block, who repairs the roof?
The lease and the landlord's arrangements decide that, not the survey. The report can say the roof throws water. It has not calculated anyone's share of a repair and it has not read the lease. Ask the solicitor. A condition note about splash is not a service-charge demand.