Roofs and flat roofs
Do club tiles, together with the swept valley, count as evidence on mortar fillets used instead of lead, or only as a note of what was visible?
Club tiles together with the swept valley are only a note of what was visible. They do not count as evidence that mortar fillets were used instead of lead, unless the report says those fillets were actually seen. The survey has not decided that lead is absent, and it has not decided that mortar is doing the valley's work. Club tiles are a shaped tile in the courses. A swept valley is a way of turning those courses. The material in the bed stays unproved if it was only inferred.
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 swept valley carries the tiles around the valley without an open metal tray, so mortar is often in the detail and lead soakers may still be hidden. From the ground the surveyor sees the sweep and the club tiles that turn the corner. That pattern can look the same whether soakers are present or only mortar was used. Inferring that lead is absent overclaims the view. The note is the visible tilework, not the layers underneath.
Ask the solicitor whether repairs in the valley used lead or only mortar, and ask for any roofer's note. This visit did not lift club tiles to check. If the valley is to be relied on, a roofer needs access to the bedding. Do not tell a lender the valley is metal-lined because the courses sweep neatly. The survey recorded the tiles and the sweep. It did not audit the layers underneath.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were mortar fillets seen, or only club tiles and a swept valley?
- Did the report say lead was absent, or stop at the visible courses?
- How much of the valley was in view from the available vantage?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the club tiles and the sweep as a visual note.
- Ask what was used in the valley on any earlier repair.
- Do not infer a missing lead lining from the pattern alone.
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 club tiles confined to valleys?
Club tiles are shaped tiles used where a course must turn, often at a swept valley, but the name alone is not a map of every valley on the house. The report ties them to the swept valley it discusses. Other junctions were not cleared by that sentence. Ask which valley was actually in sight.
Can a mortar fillet be left if the tiles look tight?
Tight tiles are the surface the surveyor could see. They do not show whether a fillet is cracked underneath or whether lead is there at all. The visit did not lift the courses. A roofer can judge the bedding. This note is not a decision to leave the valley alone.