Roofs and flat roofs
A dry-verge system is fitted on one gable and the other gable is still mortared. What age of the tiles has the new verge not reset?
The new verge has not reset the age of any of the tiles. A dry-verge system on one gable is an edge detail: a cloak, a batten and a plastic or metal finish instead of mortar. The tiles on that slope stay the tiles they were. The other gable is still mortared, so the two edges are not even the same age of repair. The survey saw the mismatch. It has not redated the covering, and it has not called the roof new because one verge was changed.
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?
Mortar verges crack, and a dry-verge kit is a common replacement for that edge alone. Fitting it does not re-lay the tiles, does not renew the underlay, and does not make the opposite gable match. The survey can say one gable has the system and the other still has mortar. It cannot give the tiles a new life from that edge, and it cannot call the mortared gable the next failure. Any separate tile note would stand on its own.
When you compare quotes, ask the roofer to separate the dry verge already fitted from the mortared gable and from the general tile condition. Tell the solicitor the survey has not reset the age of the covering. Do not describe one plastic verge as a re-roof. The home survey did not date the tiles and did not test the opposite mortar.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which gable has the dry-verge system, and which is still mortared?
- Did you see the tiles themselves renewed, or only the verge edge?
- What, if anything, did you record about the age or condition of the tiles?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat the new verge as a new roof covering.
- Compare the dry verge with the gable that is still mortared.
- Ask a roofer to price the tiles and the remaining mortar separately.
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 dry verge is clean and straight, are the tiles new?
No. A straight verge shows the edge system, not the age of the tiles. The survey saw the kit on one gable only. It did not redated the covering and it did not see a full re-lay. Old tiles can sit in a new verge. The other gable, still in mortar, underlines that only an edge was changed.
Does the mortared gable have to be replaced because the other one was?
Not because the survey says so. One gable has a dry verge and the other is still mortared. That records a difference. It does not order the second edge to be changed, and it does not grade the mortar as failed unless the report says the mortar is failing. Read the note on each gable on its own.