Roofs and flat roofs
The tiles look recent and no membrane is visible from the loft. What can the survey not conclude from that empty view?
Not that the roof has no underlay. Recent-looking tiles with no membrane visible from the loft only mean none was seen from that vantage. The survey cannot conclude the covering was laid with no membrane, that a membrane is hidden above the battens, or that every bay matches the empty view. Felt can be tight to the tiles, blocked by stored goods, or simply out of the line of sight. An empty look is not proof of absence. Ask a roofer before you treat the roof as unfelted. Do not write no membrane as a fact the loft did not establish.
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?
From the loft you see the underside of the roof structure. A membrane is visible when it drapes or shows between the rafters. If you see only battens and the underside of tiles, that bay did not show a membrane. It may have been omitted, it may sit tight above the battens, or insulation and belongings may hide it. Recent tiles tell you the covering looks new. They do not tell you what was done at the underlay.
Ask a roofer to inspect that slope and to say whether underlay is missing, hidden, or present only in part. Do not pull tiles off on a viewing to check. If the seller says a membrane was fitted, ask for the specification rather than upgrading the survey sentence. Until someone can see the layer properly, the honest finding is that no membrane was visible from the loft. That is not the same sentence as a roof proved to have been laid without one.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- From which part of the loft was no membrane visible, and what blocked the rest?
- Did you see the underside of the tiles directly, or only insulation pushed into the rafters?
- Are you describing one bay, or the whole roof?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not conclude there is no membrane from the empty loft view alone.
- Ask a roofer whether underlay is missing or only hidden.
- Do not lift tiles on a viewing to settle it.
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 tiles look new, was a membrane required and therefore fitted?
No. A recent look does not prove what was laid underneath. The survey could not see a membrane from the loft, and it cannot invent one.
Does an empty view mean rain is getting in?
No. Not seeing underlay is not the same as seeing a leak. The survey has not concluded the covering fails from that empty bay.