Can rain get through the cheek on the side of a dormer without the main roof tiles having failed?

What is the fuller explanation?

Buyers look up at the front of a dormer and at the main slope, then miss the side panel. Cheeks are tile-hung, rendered, boarded or covered in lead. They crack at the corners and at the junction with the tiles they spring from. Inside, the stain is on the side wall of the dormer, not in a band under the ridge of the house. An even field of main-roof tiles does not speak for that side panel. A survey from the street sees the cheek only at an angle. The top of the dormer is a further surface and is not this question.

A home survey does not lift the cheek covering and does not guarantee the hidden battens. It should say whether the cheek was seen or only guessed from an internal stain. Do not accept a whole-roof replacement that starts from one stained cheek, and do not ignore the cheek because the main tiles look tidy. Ask for that side to be inspected from a ladder if the rating matters and the ground view was not enough. The loft, if entered, may show the stain and still hide the outside face of the cheek.

What should you ask your surveyor?

• Did you see the cheek covering, or only an internal stain on the side?
• Are the main-roof tiles a separate, even field in your notes?
• Is the dormer top a different surface from the cheek?

What are the typical next steps?

1. Do not replace the main covering because one dormer cheek is letting rain in.
2. Photograph the side panel, not only the front of the dormer.
3. If the cheek was not clearly seen, say so before anyone is asked to repair 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

Which pages should you read next?

• Can a slipped stepped flashing where a roof slope meets a wall let rain in, with no valley involved?
• Can a cold-water cistern in the loft sweat onto the ceiling even though the tank itself is not leaking?
• Strands are reported in a cellar and no fruiting body was present. Why is the strand note not a finished identification?
• Guide: What does damp mean in a home survey?
• All UK home survey questions

Sources

• RICS: RICS Home Surveys (Home Survey Standard)
• Property Care Association: Structural problems, including damp, dry rot, wet rot and woodworm (homeowner advice)
• GOV.UK: Damp and mould: understanding and addressing the health risks for rented housing providers