Condition ratings
The conservatory roof is rating 3 and the main house roof is rating 1. Which covering has failed?
Only the conservatory covering. That roof is rating 3, so that is the covering that has failed in this pair. The main house roof at rating 1 has not. They are different structures, often different materials, meeting at a flashing. Do not let the conservatory's number crawl onto the house slates or tiles, and do not average the two into one roof.
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?
Rating 3 on the conservatory roof means that covering is serious, urgent, or both. You should get written quotations before legal commitment, and the what to do now note is advice to you, not an invoice to the seller. Rating 1 on the main house roof means no repair is currently needed to that covering, only normal maintenance. Polycarbonate, glass, or a failed conservatory membrane is not the house slate or tile. A flashing where the two meet can be a third line. If the report rates the flashing separately, read it separately. If it does not, do not invent a failure in the house covering because the junction exists.
Do not average 3 and 1. Concealed bars and the edge of the house roof under a flashing are not guaranteed sound, so rating 1 is not a certificate of every hidden fixing, but it is still the surveyor's judgement that the main covering needs nothing now. The conservatory rating does not undo it. When you speak to a contractor, ask them to price the conservatory roof that was rated 3. Leave the house covering out of that instruction unless the report has given it a harsher number than 1.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is rating 3 confined to the conservatory covering?
- What does rating 1 on the main roof exclude?
- Is the flashing between them a third element?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get quotations for the conservatory roof before you commit.
- Leave the main house roof at rating 1.
- Do not average the two coverings.
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
If the conservatory leaks at the house wall, has the main roof failed?
Not on that fact alone. Ask whether the report puts the leak on the junction or on the house covering.
Can the conservatory frame be rating 2 while its roof is rating 3?
Yes. The frame and the covering can differ. Read the line that names each.