Roofs and flat roofs
What should you ask about a chipped tile that is still fixed, rather than one that has slipped?
Ask whether the tile is still fixed and whether the chip opens the lap. A chip in a tile that has not moved is not a slipped tile, and it is not a slate that has already fallen. One small chip may shed water as before. A survey from the ground cannot see the underlay behind it, and it should not be written up as a slope that has failed.
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?
Tiles get chipped by ladders, by frost and by people walking the roof. If the nib or the nail still holds the tile in its course, the hole in the covering may be none at all. The question is whether the break crosses the head-lap or the side-lap, which a ground view often cannot settle. A slipped tile is a different defect because the course is open. The words in the report should keep those apart.
A roofer can sometimes replace one chipped tile from a stack of spares. That is not a re-cover. There is no RICS tariff for a single tile. If many tiles are chipped in the same way, ask the surveyor whether they saw a pattern or one scar. Do not let one photograph of a chip become a budget for a new roof. Concealed battens are not proved sound by a chip, and they are not proved rotten by it either.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the tile still in its course, or has it moved?
- Does the chip cross the lap, as far as you could tell?
- Did you see one chip, or a pattern across the slope?
What are the typical next steps?
- Show a roofer the chip before you discuss a new covering.
- Do not describe a fixed chip as a slipped tile in a message to the seller.
- Keep spare tiles if the seller has them. They are not a survey.
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
Is a cracked tile that is still nibbed the same point?
It is closer to a chip than to a slip, as long as both pieces are still held. Ask whether the crack opens a lap.
Does moss in the chip prove the tile has failed?
No. Moss will grow in a rough edge. It does not tell you the lap is open.