Roofs and flat roofs
What did the visit record about a swan neck, about an ogee gutter, and about the stop end over the bay?
The visit recorded a swan neck, an ogee gutter and the stop end over the bay as rainwater details it could see from the ground. It has not decided that the swan neck is clear, that the ogee holds water, or that the stop end is sealed. The three pieces were identified. They were not water-tested. A stop end that looks present can still be cracked, and a swan neck can be blocked out of sight. The bay is the location, not a finding that the window below is dry.
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?
An ogee gutter is a shaped profile, often on older eaves. A stop end closes the run over a bay so water does not pour off the end. A swan neck is the bend that brings a downpipe back to the wall. Each joint can leak. Binoculars show shape, rust, open joints and stains on the bay. They do not run a hose and do not see inside the bend. Read the report as a list of what was visible, with condition limited to those external signs.
Ask the solicitor if the seller has replaced the stop end or cleared the swan neck. A gutter fitter can check the joints over the bay without this report pretending to have done so. Do not assume an ornamental ogee profile means the run is original or sound. The survey named the profile and the two fittings. It did not commission a repair and it did not clear the bend.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What was visible of the stop end over the bay?
- Did the swan neck show an open joint or only its shape?
- Was the ogee gutter followed along the whole eaves or only at the bay?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the three fittings as a visual rainwater note.
- Ask whether the stop end or the swan neck has been renewed.
- Have the joints checked if stains show under the bay.
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 an ogee gutter a style comment rather than a defect?
The profile is descriptive. A defect would be a joint, a fall or a stop end the report actually describes as failed. Naming ogee does not praise or condemn the metal. Read the condition words beside the name. The survey has not graded the profile as a repair item on its own.
Does the bay window structure depend on this gutter note?
The note is about the gutter, the swan neck and the stop end over the bay. It does not inspect the bay frame, the roof of the bay or the lintel. Staining on the bay is a clue that water has run there. It is not a structural survey of the window.