Survey finding
Torn or missing sarking felt: what to do
Sarking felt findings are common on pre-1980 roofs. This page covers when felt findings matter and what the realistic remediation looks like.
Last updated: .
Finding
Torn or missing sarking felt
What this usually means
Sarking felt (or modern breather membrane) is the secondary water barrier under roof tiles or slates. Older Victorian roofs had no felt at all, relying on torched bedding. Mid-century felt deteriorates and tears; modern breather membrane lasts longer. Tears or gaps allow wind-driven rain past the tiles to wet the roof timbers.
Why it matters
Surveyor flags this when felt is visibly torn, missing, or end-of-life. Roofs without sarking felt are common on pre-1940 properties and not automatically defective. The fix is usually the next time the roof is re-covered, not now.
Ask your surveyor
- Check:Is the felt torn or completely absent?
- Check:Are the roof timbers visible from the loft and in good condition?
Ask the seller
- Check:When was the roof last re-covered?
- Check:Has sarking felt been replaced as part of any repair?
Next steps
- •Get two written quotes from local trades before negotiating with the seller.
- •Speak to your mortgage broker before exchanging if the finding affects mortgageability.
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What you need to know
Severity
Maintenance item. Worth quoting and including in negotiation.
Typical cost to fix
Localised felt repair (combined with re-tiling): £400–£1,200. Re-felt and re-bed a whole roof slope: £4,000–£10,000+. Full roof re-cover with new breather membrane: £8,000–£18,000+.
Mortgage impact
Standard if the roof tiles or slates are sound. End-of-life roofs combined with no felt may trigger a retention.
Insurance impact
Standard. Storm damage that tears felt is typically claimable.
When to pull out
Pull out only if combined with end-of-life roof covering and the seller refuses to engage on cost.
When to renegotiate, and by how much
Get a roofer's quote covering sarking and tile/slate condition together. Negotiate on quote plus 15%.
Thinking of pulling out or renegotiating? What to do after a bad survey
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The Survey Decoder explains the wording. The full report adds address-specific flood, subsidence, EPC, crime, listed status, building age and price comparison data, so a single finding isn't judged in isolation.
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Check the property before you offer
Free preview: flood risk, EPC rating, crime, tenure and air quality. The £9.99 report adds the remaining 17 checks, 22 in all, drawing on up to 15 public datasets.
Run a free previewRead next
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How MyPropertyScan produces this guide, and what it is not
Published by MyPropertyScan and written by Ziad Nasr, who is accountable for its accuracy. No page here is written or reviewed by a chartered surveyor, conveyancer or regulated adviser, and we do not claim otherwise.
This page is not:
- Chartered surveying: we do not inspect properties or produce RICS Home Survey reports
- Legal advice: we do not act as conveyancers or advise on title, tenure or contracts
- Mortgage or insurance advice: we are not regulated by the FCA and give no recommendations
Figures and process steps come from the published UK datasets and standards listed on this page, not from professional practice. Pages are updated when source coverage, survey cost assumptions, or lender and legal requirements materially change. Dataset limitations are set out on the methodology page.
Spotted something out of date or wrong? Email [email protected] and we will correct it and change the update date.
Sources used
We use UK public and specialist sources where they are available. Public datasets can be incomplete, delayed, or missing for some addresses. Treat them as a starting point, not as a replacement for professional advice.
Source standard: preference goes to official government datasets, statutory bodies, professional standards, and primary dataset publishers. We cite the source family on the page and explain coverage limits rather than filling gaps with unsupported estimates.
- Professional standard: RICS Home Survey StandardRICS standard for condition-based residential surveys in the UK.
- Learn more from: RICS consumer guide to surveysConsumer-facing guide to survey types and when each level is appropriate.
- Official guidance: GOV.UK buying or selling your homeGovernment overview of the home buying and selling process.