What does 'Sagging Roof' mean when buying a property?

Find out what Sagging Roof means when you are buying a property. 'What does Sagging Roof mean?' plus over 150 other property related terms and jargon in plain English

Sagging Roof

Also sometimes called "Bowing Roof". This may or may not be serious. There are two cases where it may not be and these both relate to period properties:

  • In the mid 1900s it was popular to replace Victorian roof tiles with concrete one. These were much heavier and the beams were not strong enough. However as long as the roof sagged and then stopped it is not a problem
  • Roof sagging may have occurred as part of a larger movement in the property but it is not be an issue if this movement stopped in the distant past.

In all cases, period property or not, if the surveyor has concerns you would be advised to ask a roofer to look at it but try to find one who charges for an inspection. One who does not will, more likely than not, find some work for himself.

Note that the surveyor may put a retention on their valuation because of a sagging roof - they will say something like "I think this property is worth £30,000 less than you have offered until the roof is inspected".

The surveyor is not suggesting the roof needs £30,000 of work. This is a nominal figure to cover all eventualities until the roof is inspected by a qualified specialist.

If a roofer then gives the roof the all clear this report can be forwarded to the surveyor who will then remove the retention.

To find out more about everything that can come up in a survey and the smart way to handle them pick up a copy of my ebook How to Really Buy a Property.


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