Age and type of house
What is different about the roof over an Edwardian bay, compared with the main roof?
The top of an Edwardian bay is often a small flat, or a lead-covered cap, with its own flashings. It is not the tiled or slated slope of the main roof. A damp patch in the bay can be that small roof, not rising damp in the terrace. A comment on the main slopes does not cover it.
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?
Bay roofs fail at the edges: split lead, a cracked asphalt patch, a flashing let into the brick, or a gutter that discharges into the bay. The surveyor can often see the top from a ladder only if it is low enough and safe. A bay on an upper floor may be described from the ground and from the room below.
Do not let a roofer quote only for the main slopes if the stain is in the bay. Ask them to include the bay top, the flashing and the outlet. The survey is not that quote. If the report says the bay roof was not inspected, that limit belongs in the papers you send the roofer.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see the bay roof, or only the ceiling underneath it?
- Is the bay top lead, asphalt, felt, or not identified?
- Does the main-roof rating include the bay, or is the bay a separate limit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Point any roofer at the bay, not only at the ridge of the house.
- Photograph the stain and the outside of the bay on the same day.
- If the report leaves the bay roof as not inspected, decide with your solicitor whether that limit is acceptable before you commit.
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 bay roof the same defect as movement in the bay?
No. A wet bay ceiling can be the little roof. Cracks at the bay can be movement. The survey should not use one sentence for both.
Can you see a bay roof from the loft?
Often no. The bay is in front of the main wall, so the main loft does not look into it. Access is from outside or from the room.