Roofs and flat roofs
The report mentions a tilting fillet next to pantiles at the eaves. Has sprocketed rafter feet been tested, or only named?
Sprocketed rafter feet have been named, not tested. The report mentions a tilting fillet next to pantiles at the eaves, which is the detail that often sits over those feet. The survey has recorded the fillet and the pantiles it could see. It has not decided that the sprockets are sound, rotten or even fully present. A fillet is a piece of timber or mortar that lifts the last course. Naming it is not a test of the rafter ends hidden behind the fascia.
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?
Pantiles are curved tiles that need a kick at the eaves so the last course sits at the right tilt. That kick may be a tilting fillet, a sprocket on the rafter foot, or both. From the ground the curve shows, and a gap under the eaves may show. The loft may still not reach the feet. The survey can say the arrangement appears to be there. Opening the fascia was not this visit, so the timber condition stays unknown.
Ask the solicitor whether the seller knows of rot at the eaves or of fascia repairs. If the sprockets matter, a carpenter or roofer needs access behind the pantiles and the gutter line. The home survey has not opened that junction. Do not read a regular pantile eaves as a clean result for the feet. The fillet was the visible clue. The sprocketed ends were only named beside it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the tilting fillet seen, and from inside the loft or only outside?
- Does the report say the sprocketed feet were not reached?
- What of the pantile eaves was actually in view?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the sprockets as named, not tested.
- Ask about rot or repairs along the eaves.
- Open the detail only through a proper roof inspection.
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
Can a new gutter prove the rafter feet are dry?
A new gutter shows the channel that was fitted. It does not show the sprocketed feet or the tilting fillet behind the fascia. The survey did not link any gutter renewal to a timber test. Ask what was seen when the gutter was last off. Until then the feet remain only a name in the report.
Do all pantile roofs have sprockets?
No. Some use a fillet alone, some a sprocket, some both. The report mentions the fillet next to the pantiles and names sprocketed feet. It has not confirmed the sprockets by opening the eaves. Treat the combination as a possible arrangement, not as a measured construction.