Choosing a survey level
Where a report pairs the time on site with a thatched roof, what stays open about a duration the thatch does not turn into a guarantee?
What stays open is everything a duration cannot promise. Pairing time on site with a thatched roof records that the thatch was part of the visit, or part of why the visit took the time it took. It does not turn that duration into a guarantee of the coat, the ridge or the fixings. Thatch can hide a thin patch or a tired ridge the survey did not reach, and the minutes on site do not close those points. The survey has reported what it could see. It has not promised a life for the thatch, and it has not turned time into a warranty.
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?
Thatched roofs take care to look at: the ridge, the coat, the eaves, flashings against chimneys, and the risk that wire or timber is buried where a glance does not go. Extra time can be well spent and still not become a promise. A duration is a fact about the diary. Condition is a fact about the material that was visible. The report can say both without letting one stand in for the other. What stays open is any part the time did not actually uncover.
Ask the surveyor which parts of the thatch were seen and which were out of reach, and keep that list rather than the hours. Tell the solicitor the time on site is not a guarantee. A thatcher can advise on the coat and the ridge if you want a specialist view, which the duration has not replaced. Do not tell an insurer the roof was warranted because the visit was long. Time is time. The thatch remains whatever the inspection could actually see.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which parts of the thatch were actually reached in the time on site?
- Which parts stayed out of reach however long the visit felt?
- Has the duration been kept separate from any promise about the coat?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask which parts of the thatch were seen and which were not.
- Treat time on site as diary, not as a guarantee.
- Instruct a thatcher if you need a specialist view of the coat.
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
Does a longer visit mean the ridge was renewed recently?
No. Time on site does not date the ridge or the coat. The report pairs the duration with a thatched roof and does not turn that duration into a guarantee. How old the thatch is, and what remains of it, depends on what was seen, not on the clock. A long visit can still leave parts unreached. Age is not proved by hours.
Can the insurer treat the survey time as cover for the thatch?
No. An insurer's decision is its own. The survey has not turned time on site into a guarantee of the thatch, the ridge or the fixings. Tell them what was inspected, not how long the diary entry was. Duration is not a warranty. The condition is limited to what the visit could see.