Roofs and flat roofs
Valley lead is split at one step and intact at the next. What length of valley is the defect, and what board under the split was not uncovered?
The defect is the one step where the valley lead is split, not the next step, which is intact. The board under the split was not uncovered. Valley lead is dressed in lengths, and a split in one length is a hole in that piece only. The neighbouring step looking intact keeps the note to the split length. The survey has not stripped the lead, so any wet or decayed board under the split stays unseen. The known defect is that one step of lead. The timber under it was not opened.
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?
A valley carries water from two slopes, and the lead is the lining. Lead can split at a step where it is stressed or was poorly formed. Intact lead at the next step means the surveyor could see a sound length beside a failed one. That does not show the boards under the split. The inspection did not roll the lead back. The length of the defect and the condition of the board are different facts, and only the lead was seen.
Ask a roofer to repair the split step and to uncover the board under it as part of that work, not as something the survey already did. Tell the solicitor the intact next step is why the defect is one length, not the whole valley. The report has not specified a full valley renewal. If the board is decayed once it is seen, that is a further finding. It is not a result written up from lead that stayed in place.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the split limited to one step, with the next intact?
- Was the board under the split left covered?
- Has a full valley renewal not been specified?
What are the typical next steps?
- Limit the lead defect to the split step.
- Ask a roofer to uncover the board as part of the repair.
- Do not treat the intact next step as failed.
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 loft is stained under the valley, is every step split?
A stain shows water has entered. It does not split the step that was seen intact. The defect is the step where the lead is split. The board under that split was not uncovered, so the stain was not traced by opening the valley. Ask the roofer to relate the stain to the split length. Do not mark the sound step as failed.
Does intact lead at the next step mean the boards there are dry?
Not proved, and it is not this note. The next step of lead was intact, which limits the seen defect to the split length. The board under the split was not uncovered, and the boards under the intact step were not uncovered either. Sound lead on the face is not a view of the timber. The survey did not strip either step.