Survey costs
The seller replaces the slipped slates. Is the surveyor's second visit already covered by the first fee?
No. The second visit is not already covered by the first fee. The seller replacing slipped slates changes what is on the roof. It does not reopen the original invoice. A return visit is a new instruction unless that firm's written terms already included a reinspection, which you should check instead of assuming. There is no national rule that the first fee stays open until the slates have been swapped and looked at again.
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?
The first fee paid for the first inspection and the report that followed. Once that work is done, the firm's obligation is the obligation in the terms, not an indefinite watching brief over later repairs. Sellers often replace a few slipped slates to steady a sale. That may be welcome. It does not summon the surveyor back at no cost, and it does not amend the old paragraphs by magic. If you want someone to see the new work, ask the firm whether they will reattend, on what fee, and what they will be able to say about workmanship they did not watch.
A short letter saying the seller has sent photographs is a different, smaller question than a second site visit. Ask which of those, if either, the firm is willing to do. Do not tell the agent the original fee already purchased the return. Unless the terms say it, it did not. There is no national tariff for reinspections that you can quote against the firm. If you proceed without a second look, understand that the report still describes the roof as it was, not the roof as the seller says it has become.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Do your terms include a return visit after repairs?
- What could a second visit actually confirm about slates you did not see fixed?
- Would a desk comment on photographs be a different, separate question?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the terms before you assume a free second visit.
- Ask the firm for a fee if you want them back.
- Remember the report describes the roof as first inspected.
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 seller sends a receipt for the slates, is the survey updated?
No. A receipt is not a reinspection. The original report stands unless the firm agrees a further instruction.
Does a rating disappear when the seller says the work is done?
No. The rating recorded what was found. Only a new look, if you commission one, can speak about the roof afterwards.