Terraces in Chatham and Gillingham share roofs, fixings and failures. Why one slipped tile often means more, and what to do about a roof you don't fully own.
A large proportion of Medway's housing is terraced — Victorian and Edwardian rows in Chatham, 1930s semis in Gillingham, later terraces across Strood. They're good homes, but their roofs fail in ways that detached houses don't.
Shared Problems, Shared Timings
A terrace was built in one go, with the same tiles, the same battens and the same fixings. They reach the end of their life at the same time. That's why roofers talk about "the terrace going" — once one property starts losing slates or tiles, neighbours often follow within a few years.
Access Is The Real Issue
Repairing a mid-terrace roof often means putting scaffolding in a rear garden — and sometimes in a neighbour's. That needs permission, and it needs doing politely. It's a major part of both the cost and the timeline, and it's worth having the conversation with next door before the scaffold arrives rather than after.
Where Responsibility Actually Sits
In most Medway terraces, each property is responsible for its own roof over its own footprint. Party walls and shared chimneys can complicate this. If a chimney stack straddles two properties, its upkeep is often a shared responsibility — and a repair to one side can affect the other. Leasehold flats add another layer entirely, where the freeholder or management company usually holds the duty.
What To Do
- Get your own roof independently inspected rather than assuming next door's repair covers yours
- Talk to neighbours early if scaffolding will affect their garden
- Check your lease or deeds if a chimney or party structure is involved
- Fix slipping tiles promptly — on a terrace, one loose tile is often the first sign of a run
- Keep dated photographs; if responsibility is disputed with a neighbour or freeholder, evidence matters
We Work On Terraces All Day
Most of the work we do is on exactly this kind of housing, so we know what access, scaffold and neighbour arrangements actually involve in Medway's streets. Free surveys, honest advice on what's your responsibility and what isn't.
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Costs and timings in this article are guides for Medway and Kent properties. Every roof is different — a survey is the only way to get an accurate figure.