Roofs and flat roofs
Slipped tiles on a mansard were seen from a window across the street. What of the fixings was not handled?
The fixings were not handled at all. Slipped tiles on a mansard were seen from a window across the street, which is a distant view of the slope, not a hands-on check of nails, clips or nibs. A mansard is a steep roof face, and a slipped tile can hide a failed fixing or a wider loss of hold. From across the street the survey could see displacement. It could not lift a tile, feel a batten, or decide how the tiles are fixed. The slip is noted. The fixing condition is unknown.
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?
Distance flatters a roof and hides the fastener. A tile can sit proud because one nail has gone, because the nib has broken, or because the batten under it has softened, and those causes look similar from a window opposite. The survey did not cross the street onto the mansard and did not use a ladder. Binoculars, if they helped the eye, still do not put a hand on the fixing. What was not handled is every fastener on that slope.
Ask a roofer to get onto the mansard, or to a safe equivalent view, and to report on the fixings as separate work. Tell your solicitor the slip was seen from across the street and the fixings were not touched. Do not tell a lender the covering is secure because most tiles still appear to be in place. Appearance from a window is not a fixing inspection.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were any tile fixings on the mansard handled?
- Was the slip seen only from a window across the street?
- Is a distant view being offered as a fixing inspection?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the mansard fixings as unhandled.
- Ask a roofer for a close inspection of the slope.
- Do not describe the covering as secure from a window view.
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 one slipped tile prove every fixing has failed?
No. One slip, seen from across the street, shows displacement at that spot. It does not count the other fixings, and none of them was handled. The rest may be holding, or may be close to letting go. The survey has not decided which. A close inspection is what would start that count.
Can the flat below the mansard be assumed dry?
No. The survey's limit is about the tiles and the fixings, not a guarantee of the rooms under them. A distant view of a slip does not test the underlay or the ceiling. Do not report the interior as proved dry because you could see the outside from another building. The fixings remain unhandled.