Leasehold

A Section 20 pack includes scaffolding dates for the roof. Why do those dates not describe the condition of the covering, and why must you not invent a money threshold?

Those scaffolding dates describe a programme, not the condition of the roof covering. A Section 20 pack that lists when scaffold is due does not say whether the tiles, the felt or the deck have failed, and the notice is not a condition rating. The survey has not inspected the covering by reading a timetable, and it has not calculated anyone's share of the work. Do not invent a money figure for what the notice might mean for you. Dates tell you a timetable someone has written. They do not survey the roof.

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?

Consultation papers exist so leaseholders are told about proposed works and can respond. Scaffold dates belong to that story of access and timing. They say nothing about nail sickness, a tired covering, or a gutter that has already let water in. The survey, if it saw the roof, speaks only from what was visible on the visit. Mixing the two lets a calendar stand in for a covering. It also tempts a reader to guess a personal bill the inspection has no power to calculate.

Ask your solicitor to explain the pack, including what is proposed and what stage the consultation has reached, and to keep that advice off the survey pages. Ask the managing agent for the specification of the roof works if you need to know what is actually being repaired. Do not write a personal share into the margin of the report. The survey has not produced one, and a Section 20 notice is not a condition rating of the covering.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Do the scaffold dates describe the tiles, felt or deck?
Has the survey calculated any leaseholder's share of the works?
Is the consultation pack being read as a condition rating?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the dates as a timetable, not as a roof inspection.
Ask your solicitor to explain the pack and its stage.
Do not write a personal share into the survey.

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 start date for scaffold mean the covering has already failed?

No. A start date means someone has planned access. It does not diagnose the covering, and it is not a finding of this survey. The roof's condition is whatever the inspection could see, reported separately. Do not upgrade a diary entry into a failed roof, and do not treat silence in the pack as a clean one.

Can the surveyor sign the consultation reply for you?

No. A reply to consultation is your step, with your solicitor's advice, not a sentence the surveyor adds. The inspection has not calculated a share and has not decided the works are justified or excessive. Use the survey, if at all, as a description of what was seen. The reply itself belongs in the legal file.