Roofs and flat roofs
Nothing on the visit sampled hung tiles, opened a jettied gable or tested weatherboard hidden behind the tiles. What has to stay undecided?
The fixing of the hung tiles, the timber of the jettied gable, and the weatherboard hidden behind the tiles all have to stay undecided. Nothing on the visit sampled the tiles, opened the jetty or tested that hidden board. The survey can describe the tile face and the overhang it could see. It has not decided that the boards are dry, decayed or still continuous. A jettied gable puts framing and cladding out over the wall below. The tiles are a screen. What they cover was not reached.
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?
Hung tiles are tiles fixed on battens as wall cladding, often on a gable. A jetty is the projecting floor or gable frame. Weatherboard may sit behind the tiles, or the tiles may have replaced it, and the eye cannot tell which. The surveyor notes the pattern, slipped tiles and the line of the jetty. Sampling and opening are outside a home survey. A tidy tile face is not a result for the hidden board.
Tell the solicitor that the cladding was not opened. Ask the seller whether the weatherboard is still behind the tiles and whether any jetty timber has been repaired. A carpenter or a surveyor instructed to open up can answer that. This visit will not. Do not treat the hung tiles as the structure of the gable. They are the face that was seen, and the hidden board remains an open question.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What of the hung tiles and the jetty line was visible?
- Does the report say the weatherboard behind the tiles was not tested?
- Was any opening made at the gable, or none?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave the hidden weatherboard undecided.
- Ask the seller whether board and jetty timber were repaired.
- Do not treat the tile face as the gable structure.
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 slipped hung tile expose the weatherboard for this report?
A slip shows a gap in the face. Unless the report says the board was actually seen through that gap and described, the board has still not been tested. One missing tile is not an opening-up survey. Note the slip as a cladding defect. Keep the hidden layers undecided.
Is the jetty included in the roof covering?
No. The jetty is a projecting part of the wall or floor frame, and the hung tiles are cladding on it. They were discussed because the tiles hide the board. The roof slopes are a different element. Do not file this note as a verdict on the tiles of the roof.