Roofs and flat roofs
Solar panels cover part of the south slope and the tiles under them were not seen. What covering condition is hidden, and what electrical generation test was not done?
The covering hidden under the solar panels is the south-slope tiles the surveyor could not see, and no electrical generation test was done. The array covers part of that slope, so the tiles, laps and fixings beneath it were out of view. The visit can note the panels, the edge flashings and any ceiling mark below. It cannot grade a covering it did not look at. Output from the panels, the inverter and the array wiring were not measured. A roof inspection is not a generation test, and this one has not supplied that result.
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?
Panels shade a patch of roof rather than making that patch sound. From the ground or from a loft the surveyor may see the border of the array and the tiles that remain exposed. The field underneath stays covered. Water can still reach a broken tile, a slipped flashing or a fixing the eye never met. A dry ceiling on the day does not clear those hidden tiles. The honest roof line is that part of the south slope was not seen, not that the slope passed.
Generation is a different job from looking at tiles. Measuring what the array produces, and whether its wiring is satisfactory, needs an electrical inspection this home survey did not carry out. Ask the seller for the installation papers and any later service note, and pass those to your solicitor with the report. If the hidden tiles must be seen, that is a separate roof visit with the panels lifted by someone able to do it safely. This report has not certified the array.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which part of the south slope was hidden by the panels, and which tiles did you actually see?
- Did you record any ceiling staining directly under the array?
- Have you left generation, the inverter and the array wiring as not tested?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the seller for the solar installation papers and any service note.
- Keep the unseen tiles as a roof limit, not as a clear slope.
- Arrange a separate look only if the covering under the panels must be seen.
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 ceiling under the array is dry, are the hidden tiles cleared?
No. A dry ceiling under the array only says that room was not stained on the day. It does not show the tiles, the laps or the fixings the panels cover. The survey still has not seen that covering, so a clear ceiling must not be rewritten as a sound south slope.
Does a brochure for the panels stand in for the missing generation test?
No. A sales brochure describes a product. It does not measure what this array produces and it does not inspect the wiring. The home survey did not do that test either, so the brochure and the report together still leave generation unchecked.