Roofs and flat roofs
The hip iron at the foot of one hip is missing and the bottom tile has slipped. What is holding the rest of that hip?
The survey has not said what is holding the rest of that hip. The hip iron at the foot is missing, and the bottom tile has slipped, so the metal stop that should keep the lowest hip tile in place is gone and that tile has already moved. The tiles further up the hip were not recorded as slipped. What still holds them, whether mortar, a mechanical fixing, or their seating in the joint, was not taken apart. The report sees a missing iron and one slipped tile. It does not name a hidden fixing as sound all the way to the ridge.
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 hip iron is a small metal stay at the foot of a hip, fixed so the bottom hip tile cannot slide off. Without it, that lowest tile is free to slip, which is what has happened. The tiles above rely on their bedding or their nails, and on the tile below them staying put. Once the bottom one goes, the support for the next is weaker, but the survey did not strip the hip to see which of those fixings remain.
Ask a roofer to refix the foot of this hip, replace the missing iron, and check how the tiles above are held before more of them follow. Tell the solicitor the rest of the hip was not opened up, so the report does not claim a sound fixing to the ridge. Do not assume mortar you can see from the ground is enough to hold the upper tiles. The known losses are the iron and the bottom tile.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which hip is missing its iron, and has the bottom tile slipped?
- What holding the upper hip tiles was left unopened?
- Was the rest of that hip not recorded as already slipped?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the missing hip iron and the bottom tile as the known losses.
- Ask a roofer to check what still holds the hip above.
- Do not call the upper hip secure from the ground.
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 ridge is straight, is the hip iron unnecessary?
No. The ridge being straight does not replace a hip iron at the foot of the hip. The iron is missing and the bottom tile has already slipped. The survey has not said what holds the rest. A straight ridge is a different line. It was not recorded as the fixing for this hip, and it does not put the iron back.
Should every hip be stripped because one iron is gone?
Not from this note. The missing iron and the slipped bottom tile are on one hip. The survey has not said the other hips have lost their irons, and it has not said what holds the rest of this one. A roofer can check the hip that has moved. Stripping every hip is not the finding.