Roofs and flat roofs
Can a surveyor measure the fall of a gutter from the ground?
They can often see a backwards sag, a pond in the trough, or a drip at a joint. They cannot run a level along a high gutter in an ordinary inspection, and they should not pretend a millimetre fall. Standing water and overflow staining are the evidence. Absence of staining on a dry day is not a measured fall.
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?
RICS inspections are visual. Binoculars help. They do not turn the survey into a rainwater design. If the report says “falls appear adequate”, ask what was visible. If it says the gutter sags towards the middle, that is the defect to quote, not a full redesign of the roof.
A roofer on a tower can check the fall properly. That visit is not inside the survey fee unless you agreed it. Costs depend on access and length. No figure is stated here. Do not use a flood-risk map as if it were a fall calculation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you see that made you comment on the fall?
- Was there standing water, or only a visual impression?
- Would a roofer need scaffold to check it?
What are the typical next steps?
- Quote the lengths that sag or leak, not a theoretical fall.
- Do not wait for a storm and then walk the gutter. That is how people fall.
- If the rating is 3, get the written quote before you are legally committed.
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 gutter that is level always wrong?
A gutter that holds water will overflow or sit. The survey should describe what it could see, not recite a building-site rule it did not measure.
Does new fascia board reset the fall?
Only if the gutter was reset on it. A new board with the old brackets in the old places can keep the old sag.