Roofs and flat roofs
At a side abutment the cover flashing is there and soakers were not seen. Why can the survey not confirm the soakers from the ground?
The survey cannot confirm the soakers from the ground because soakers sit under the tiles, hidden by the covering and by the cover flashing. They are small trays at the side of the wall, one to each course, and from ground level the visible piece is the cover flashing over the top. Not seeing soakers means they were not in view. It does not prove they are missing, and it does not prove they are present. The survey recorded the cover flashing it could see. It did not lift tiles, and it did not water-test the abutment.
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?
At a side abutment the usual pairing is soakers under the tiles and a cover flashing over the joint with the wall. The cover flashing can look complete while the soakers are absent, short, or perfectly sound. None of those states is visible once the tiles are on. A survey from the ground, or even from a ladder that does not lift the covering, stops at the flashing. Confirming soakers means a roofer lifting tiles, which this inspection did not do.
If the abutment matters, ask a roofer to lift enough tiles to see whether soakers are there and whether the cover flashing is correctly dressed over them. Tell the solicitor the report has not confirmed them and has not condemned them. The survey has not specified new soakers and has not said the wall is leaking. An inside stain near the abutment, if there is one, stays a separate observation until the hidden trays have actually been seen.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see only the cover flashing, with the soakers out of view?
- Were any tiles lifted at the abutment, or was the look from the ground?
- Is there an inside stain at this junction, kept separate from the unseen soakers?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the soakers as unconfirmed, not as missing and not as present.
- Ask a roofer to lift tiles if the abutment needs to be proved.
- Do not tell the solicitor the soakers have been 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 cover flashing is neat, are the soakers confirmed?
No. A neat cover flashing is the piece you can see. The survey still has not seen the soakers under the tiles, so neatness does not confirm them. No later decision about the soaker was made, and this visit did not supply one.
Can the loft show the soakers at a side abutment?
Usually not. Soakers are at the tile line, covered from above. The loft may show a stain or daylight, but the survey could not confirm the trays themselves from there either unless they were exposed, and they were not. What happens next for the lofttray is outside this note and was not settled here.