Roofs and flat roofs
What should you ask if thatch eaves have been cut so short that rain misses the gutter?
Ask how the coat meets the gutter, not how thick the ridge looks. If the eaves of the thatch stop short, drips can fall behind the gutter and wet the wall, which is a junction problem rather than a verdict on the whole coat. A survey from the ground can see that relationship and cannot date the thatch or say how many years the coat has left.
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?
Thatch is judged as a coat, a ridge and the details at eaves, verges and chimneys. A fat ridge can sit above eaves that no longer project over the gutter. Rain then hits the wall plate zone and the top of the wall, which is an awkward place to dry. A home survey should describe that geometry if it was visible. It does not strip a course of reed, and it does not certify the thatch for an insurer.
A thatcher, not a tile roofer with a general quote, should say whether the eaves can be dressed forward or whether the coat at the edge is simply thin. There is no RICS price for that work. Do not replace the gutter and leave the eaves short, and do not treat a short eaves as proof the roof needs to come off. If the loft was not entered, the survey has not seen the rafter feet under that drip line.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Do the eaves overhang the gutter, or stop short of it?
- Is this comment about the coat edge, the ridge, or both?
- Could you see the top of the wall under the eaves?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask a thatcher to look at the eaves-to-gutter line.
- Do not assume a new ridge has renewed the eaves.
- Keep insurer questions about thatch separate from the survey sentence.
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 wire over the eaves the same issue?
Netting is a different detail. It can hold the coat and still leave the drip in the wrong place. Ask about the drip line.
Can a tile eaves on a thatched house be ignored?
No. Where materials change, that junction needs its own sentence. The survey should say if it saw one.