Roofs and flat roofs
A lead roll on a small flat stops short of the drip. Which weather edge is unfinished?
The drip is the unfinished weather edge. The lead roll on this small flat stops short of it, so the lower edge where water should fall clear is not finished by that roll. A drip throws rain off the flat. Stopping short leaves that edge incomplete. The survey saw the gap between the end of the roll and the drip. It has not water-tested the flat. The unfinished part is the drip, not a joint higher up the slope.
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 roll is a joint formed over a timber former. It should deliver water beside it to a proper edge. If the roll dies before the drip, the weathering there is incomplete and rain can turn back under the lead. The survey can see the shortfall from the surface. It did not open the edge and did not hose the flat. The detail that fails to arrive is the one at the drip. That is the weather edge left unfinished.
Ask the solicitor whether any guarantee names this small flat. A lead worker can take the roll through to the drip and check the edge. The survey has not designed that repair. If a lender asks, say the drip is unfinished where the roll stops short, and that the flat was not water-tested. Do not call the covering proved tight because most of the lead looks complete.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the roll stop short at one end or along the whole lower edge?
- Was staining seen under this drip?
- Was the flat only looked at, rather than tested with water?
What are the typical next steps?
- Name the drip as the unfinished weather edge.
- Ask a lead worker to complete the roll to the drip.
- Do not describe the flat as water-tested.
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
Was the small flat hose-tested?
No. The survey saw the roll stop short of the drip and did not hose the flat or flood the edge. A visual shortfall is not a water test. How much rain gets back under the lead was not measured. The unfinished weather edge is still the drip. Any test would be later work, and it was not part of this visit.
Is the lead roll the same piece as the drip?
No. The roll is a joint across the flat. The drip is the projecting edge where water should fall clear. This roll stops short of that drip, which is why the drip is unfinished. They are different parts of the leadwork. The survey has not treated the roll as a substitute for the missing edge detail.