Roofs and flat roofs
Should fibre-cement slates, seen beside a bungalow ridge, be treated as a verdict on sarking boards the hatch does not reach?
No. Fibre-cement slates seen beside a bungalow ridge are not a verdict on sarking boards the hatch does not reach. The survey recorded the slates it could see from outside and whatever the hatch actually opened onto. It has not decided the condition of boards beyond that reach, and it has not decided that the ridge view describes the underlay. Sarking the surveyor could not get to remains not inspected. The slates are a covering note only.
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?
Fibre-cement slates are thin sheets that imitate slate. On a bungalow the roof is often low, and the hatch may open into a shallow roof void where the eaves and parts of the slope stay out of reach. Sarking boards are the boarding under the covering. They can be original, patched or absent, and a distant ridge of slates does not reveal them. The survey should say what the hatch allowed. Guessing the boards from the outside pattern would invent an inspection that did not happen.
Tell the solicitor the sarking beyond the hatch was not seen. Ask the seller whether any boarding was replaced when the fibre-cement was laid. If those boards matter, access has to be improved or a roofer must look from outside by lifting, which this visit did not do. Do not tell a lender the bungalow roof was checked underneath because the ridge slates were visible. The limit is the hatch.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How far did the hatch view actually extend under the slates?
- Were any sarking boards seen, or is the note only the fibre-cement outside?
- Does the report mark the unreached boards as not inspected?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the fibre-cement note off the unseen sarking.
- Ask whether boarding was renewed with the slates.
- Improve access before anyone relies on the boards.
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 fibre-cement slates the same as natural slate for this note?
No. The report is about fibre-cement slates seen at the ridge. They can look similar from the ground and still be a different product, with different fixings. That distinction still does not describe sarking the hatch does not reach. The covering and the boards are separate questions.
Does a dry ceiling under the ridge clear the boards at the eaves?
A dry ceiling shows the room surface on the day. It does not show sarking at the eaves, and it does not show boards the hatch cannot reach. Leaks can track. The survey has not used the ceiling as a test of the hidden boarding. Leave those boards out of any clear result.