Age and type of house

What should you tell a survey firm before they quote for a 1960s house with a shallow concrete-tiled roof?

Tell them the roof is low-pitched and concrete tiled, if that is what you can see, and ask how much of the loft the fee includes. Those roofs are often trussed, with little room to move, and the covering is heavy. A quote that assumes a Victorian loft will understate the limit. The survey still will not strength-test the trusses.

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?

Concrete tiles can hold water in the surface and look tired without the structure having spread. A shallow pitch can make a valley or a felt failure wet the ceiling faster. RICS inspections describe what was visible. They do not walk every bottom chord if the loft is a thicket of timbers. Say so in the report rather than guessing.

There is no RICS supplement for the 1960s. The firm sets the fee after you tell them the shape. Do not call the house a PRC system because the tiles are concrete. Tiles are the covering. The walls may be ordinary cavity brick. Ask the surveyor to keep those words apart.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Will the loft height stop you seeing the eaves?
Are you expecting a cut roof or a trussed roof?
What should I tell you now so the fee matches the building?

What are the typical next steps?

Send a photo of the roof slope with the enquiry.
Do not board the loft before the survey and then complain the eaves were hidden.
Keep wall construction and roof covering as two descriptions.

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

Is a concrete tile an asbestos sheet?

No. Concrete tiles and asbestos-cement sheets are different. The survey should name what it sees.

Does a low pitch always fail modern felt standards?

The survey does not apply a manufacturer’s pitch as a pass or fail unless it is commenting on a defect it can see. Ask what was actually wrong.