Roofs and flat roofs
The dormer cheeks on a loft conversion were only seen from the landing. What of the covering was not inspected?
The outside covering of the dormer cheeks was not inspected. Seeing the dormer from the landing shows the indoor face of the lining. It does not show the cladding, the underlay, the flashings or the junction with the main roof. The survey recorded that indoor limit. It has not decided the covering is weathertight because the landing plaster looked dry, and it has not described a covering it did not see. Outside access was not obtained.
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?
Cheeks are the side walls of a dormer. Their covering is out on the roof slope, often tile, slate, felt or boarding, turned into the main covering with flashings. From the landing you see paint and plasterboard. Those finishes can hide a damp path, or they can look tired for reasons that have nothing to do with the outside. Neither story was available. The inspection of the cheeks stopped indoors. The weathering layer is the part still missing.
Ask the solicitor for any roofing or conversion papers that describe the cheek covering, and do not treat those papers as this inspection. A roof inspection from outside, where it can be done safely, would be a different look. Tell a lender the cheeks were only seen from the landing. Do not fill the gap by assuming the main roof tiles continue unchanged across the dormer sides. That assumption was not checked.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the dormer cheeks seen only from the landing?
- Which parts of the outside covering were therefore not inspected?
- Have flashings at the main roof been left unseen too?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the cheek covering as not inspected from outside.
- Keep dry indoor linings separate from the weathering.
- Ask the solicitor for conversion papers without calling them the 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
Can a dry landing wall stand in for the cladding?
No. Dry plaster describes the indoor face on the day. It does not describe cladding, underlay or flashings on the cheek. Water can miss the lining you are looking at and still affect the covering, or the covering can be sound while the paint is tired. The survey did not inspect the outside. The lining cannot deputise for it.
Were the dormer windows the same limitation?
Only if they too were seen solely from inside. A window viewed from the landing is not an outside check of its flashings or of the cheek beside it. Keep each element to what was actually seen. The question of the cheek covering is the external face, and that face was not inspected.