Roofs and flat roofs
A trussed-rafter has been cut to enlarge a loft hatch. Why is that a different problem from a missing tile on the same slope?
A cut trussed rafter is a change to the roof frame, not a gap in the covering. Trussed rafters work as a set of timbers that share load, so cutting one to enlarge a loft hatch breaks that arrangement at the opening. A missing tile on the same slope is a covering defect: rain can enter at that hole, and the tile can be replaced without redesigning the truss. The survey has seen the cut member. It has not calculated what the trimmed opening can carry. Approved Document A is structural guidance, not a certificate this inspection has issued for that hatch.
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?
Factory trusses are sized so each piece stays in place. Sawing through a rafter, and often through the ceiling tie as well, leaves the hatch edges without the member that was meant to be there. A missing tile does not do that. It leaves the frame as built and opens the weathering. Mixing the two sends a roofer to a framing problem, or a carpenter to a single slipped tile. The note should stay on the cut truss, with the tile, if it is missing, written as its own item.
Ask a structural carpenter to say how the opening ought to be trimmed, in writing, before anyone widens the hatch further or boards the loft for storage. The survey has not designed that trim and has not said the roof is safe to load. Tell the solicitor this is a structural alteration seen in the loft, not a tile repair. Approved Document A does not, by being guidance, turn the survey into an approval of the cut.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which member of the truss was cut, and what still spans the hatch?
- Did you see any trimming timbers, or only the severed rafter?
- Have you kept this separate from any missing tile on the slope?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the cut trussed rafter as a frame problem, not a tile problem.
- Ask a structural carpenter how the hatch opening should be trimmed.
- Do not load the loft for storage on the strength of this note.
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 hatch lining looks neat, is the cut acceptable?
Neat lining is carpentry finish, not a check on the truss. The survey has seen a cut member and has not calculated the opening. A tidy hatch does not replace that missing assessment. What happens next for the hatch is outside this note and was not settled here.
Does one missing tile on the slope mean the truss was altered?
No. A missing tile is a hole in the covering. It does not show that a trussed rafter was cut. The survey has kept those as different defects if both were seen, and a tile alone does not prove a framing change.