Leasehold

You own a share and the survey rates the roof 3. What does the lease, not the rating, say about who repairs the structure?

The lease, not the rating, says who repairs the structure. You own a share of this home, and the survey has given the roof a condition rating of 3. That number describes what the surveyor thought of the roof on the day. It does not allocate the cost, and it does not name the landlord, the housing provider, or you as the person who must repair. Shared ownership is a leasehold arrangement: you buy a share and pay rent on the rest. Only the lease sets the repairing covenant for the structure. The survey has not construed that clause.

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?

GOV.UK describes shared ownership as buying a share and paying rent on the remainder, with the landlord retaining the rest. The lease commonly places structural repair on the landlord and recovers money through rent or a service charge, but this report cannot tell you that your lease does so. The rating is a condition label on the roof and is silent on covenants. It does not move the tiles onto your private duty, and a milder note would not take them off the landlord if the lease says otherwise.

Ask the solicitor to read the repairing clause, the service-charge clause, and any landlord's policy on structural works, and to say who must repair this roof and how the cost is shared. Do not treat the rating as that advice. The survey has not seen the lease perform the repair, and it has not decided that you should commission the roofer yourself. Keep the condition of the covering and the identity of the repairing party as two separate questions.

What should you ask your surveyor?

What did you see on the roof that led to the condition rating, and what did you not see?
Have you left the repairing covenant entirely to the lease, rather than to the rating?
Does the report identify anyone as the person who must pay for structural repair?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the roof rating as condition only, not as a decision about who repairs.
Ask the solicitor to extract the structural repairing clause from the lease.
Do not instruct roof works as if the rating had named you as the builder's client.

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 the roof rating put the repair on your personal list?

No. The rating describes the roof. It does not rewrite the lease, and it does not decide that a shared owner carries the structure because the number is poor. Who repairs, and who pays, is a lease question for the solicitor. The survey has not made that allocation.

If the rent is paid up to date, has the roof repair already been priced?

No. Rent on the unsold share is a payment under the shared-ownership arrangement. It is not a quote for this roof, and it is not a condition rating. The survey rated the roof and did not price a repair. Paid rent does not show that the covering has been funded or fixed.