Roofs and flat roofs
Interlocking tiles at one verge show no clips the surveyor could see. Is the whole covering therefore unfixed?
Not one verge where no clips were seen leaves the whole covering unfixed. Interlocking tiles at a verge are often clipped, but a clip can sit under the tile edge, out of sight from the ground or from a ladder. This note is that none were seen on that verge. It is not a finding that every tile on both slopes is loose. Do not let one unseen fixing line condemn the covering or force a re-roof into the quotation.
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?
Verge tiles take wind, so a surveyor will say when clips were not in sight. Sight is the limit. Mortar, a cloak verge or a clip turned under the edge can hide the metal. The report is not claiming to have lifted those tiles, and it is not claiming the field of the roof has missing nails. One edge without a visible clip is the whole of this observation.
A roofer with safe access can look under the verge tiles and say whether clips are present, missing or rusted on that edge alone. Ask for that edge to be priced apart from the general covering. If the rest of the slope was not described as loose, do not let the estimate say the roof is unfixed from ridge to eaves. The subject is one verge.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which verge showed no clips, and from where were you looking?
- Did you lift any verge tile, or was the fixing simply not in sight?
- Were tiles elsewhere on that slope described as loose, or only this edge?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask a roofer to check clips on the named verge, not on every slope.
- Keep the quotation tied to that verge unless another defect is listed.
- Photograph the verge edge the report describes before it is repointed.
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 clips were not seen, have the tiles already failed?
No. Not seeing a clip is not the same as a tile lying in the gutter. The note is about fixings that were out of view at one verge only.
Should both slopes be re-fixed because one verge showed no clips?
No. The observation is one verge only. A whole-roof re-fix is a different job, and it is not what the surveyor described at that edge.