Roofs and flat roofs
Lead is dressed into a joint filled with hard grey mortar. Why might that pointing fail while the lead itself is still present?
Because hard grey mortar fills the joint the lead is dressed into, that pointing can fail while the lead itself is still present. Lead needs a joint it can move in. A hard band over the dressing can crack, pinch the metal or hold water against it without the sheet having gone. The survey sees the lead and sees the mortar. It does not say the flashing has vanished, and it does not design a new one. The risk in the note is the pointing, kept separate from metal that is still there.
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?
A lead cover flashing tucked into a chase should be pointed with something that does not fight the sheet. Hard mortar can look tidy and then crack where the lead and the wall move differently, so rain gets behind the apron. You can still see the lead below that joint. Presence of the metal is not success of the pointing. The surveyor is separating the two materials, and the separation is the point of the note.
A roofer can rake out the hard mortar, check that the lead is still tucked, and repoint without a new sheet if the lead is sound and long enough. Ask the quotation to say which of those it is doing. New lead is not required merely because the mortar is hard and grey, and paint on the joint is not a repoint. Keep the metal on one line and the mortar on another until a short length has been raked out and seen.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the lead still tucked into the joint, or only visible below a mortar face?
- Is the hard mortar cracked or loose, or simply harder than the surrounding wall?
- Are you rating the pointing, the lead dressing, or both of them?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask a roofer to price the pointing separately from the lead.
- Do not replace the lead solely because the mortar over the dressing is hard.
- Do not paint the joint and describe that as a repair of the dressing.
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 lead can still be seen, has the flashing done its job?
Not necessarily. Visible lead means the sheet is still there. Hard mortar over the dressing can crack and admit water while that sheet remains in place.
Must the lead come out because the pointing is a hard mortar?
No. The pointing is the material that may fail. The lead stays until a roofer shows the sheet itself has split, shortened or come out of the joint.