The short answer
Verge clips are small metal fixings that hold the outermost tiles at the outer edge of a gable-ended roof. Most pitched roofs need some form of mechanical fixing at the verge, because BS 5534:2014 says mortar alone should not be relied on. Whether you need clips depends on your covering, the age of the roof and how the verge was originally finished.
What the verge is and why it is exposed
The slope edge that finishes against an end wall is the verge, and it climbs from the gutter line up to the ridge. Unlike the eaves, which are shielded by a gutter and a fascia, the verge faces the weather directly. Wind that meets the gable has nowhere to go but up and over, and it tends to lift the edge of the roof first.
The tiles along the verge are therefore the most likely to loosen, and the ones that do the most damage when they fall. They sit at the end of each course, so they are held on one side only. Traditionally the last tiles were sealed to the wall with a pointed mortar fillet laid on the wall head, which covers the gap and helps shed water. Many roofs still look like this.
What a verge clip actually does
A verge clip is a small metal or polymer fixing, usually screwed to the batten or the tile, that grips the edge tile and ties it mechanically to the roof structure. The batten is the cross-lath that each course of tiles hooks over. By holding the tile on its own, independent of the mortar, the clip stops the tile being pulled off if the mortar cracks.
Clips are made for particular tile types, and the shape of the clip has to suit the tile profile. A clip designed for one interlocking tile will not necessarily hold a plain clay tile properly. This is one reason a verge repair is not simply a case of buying a bag of fixings: the system has to match what is on the roof.
Some clips are used with a dry verge system. A dry verge replaces the mortar finish with a manufactured unit, usually plastic, which is itself fixed to the roof and to the gable. Both the units and the fixings behind them should meet the test specification for dry-fix, which is BS 8612:2018. That standard is the one the dry-fix industry works to for verge, hip and ridge systems.
What the standard says about mortar at the verge
BS 5534:2014 covers slating and tiling for pitched roofs. As Marley summarises it, mortar by itself was judged too weak in tension to anchor the tiles at ridge, hip and verge, so a mechanical fixing is expected wherever tiles are bedded. Put simply, the mortar can finish and seal the verge, but it should not be the only thing stopping the edge tiles leaving the roof.
This is a standard rather than a legal rule in itself, and it is aimed at new work and at significant repairs. A verge built before the standard changed is not automatically wrong, and many have stood for a long time. The point is that when a verge is opened up for repair, it makes sense to fix it to the current standard rather than put back mortar alone.
Does your roof need clips
There is no single answer, because it depends on the roof. These are the points that decide it.
- The tile type. Interlocking concrete or clay tiles are usually clipped or screwed at the verge. Plain tiles are often nailed and may need a different arrangement.
- Exposure. A gable on an open hillside or at the top of a slope takes far more wind than one tucked between neighbours.
- The current state of the mortar. If the verge pointing is cracked, hollow or has already dropped away, the tiles under it may have lost their only support.
- Previous work. A verge already repaired with a dry system should have its own fixings. A verge bedded in mortar with no visible clips or screws probably has none.
- Listed or older buildings. A traditional mortar verge may add to the look of the roofline, and the fixing method has to respect that.
For a listed house, or one within Bath's conservation area, ask B&NES planning about the verge finish first. A visible plastic dry verge can look very different from a pointed mortar one.
How we deal with a verge on site
At survey we look along each verge from the ground and the roof, checking for gaps, hollow-sounding mortar and tiles that have started to creep. Where the edge is sound, we may recommend leaving it and fixing any loose tile. Where it is failing, the verge is stripped back, the edge tiles are fixed with clips or screws suited to the tile, and the finish is put back as a bedded mortar verge or a dry verge unit, whichever suits the house.
Matching matters. On an older roof we try to leave the covering and the verge detail looking as built, so a roof that has always had a pointed mortar finish keeps one, now with its fixings behind it. You can read how failures at the edge typically show up on our page on dry verge problems, and how the top of the roof can let water in on ridge tile leaks. The rest of our work along the top and sides of a roof sits on the ridge and verge repairs service page.
The visit costs nothing and you receive photos of your own gable ends, followed by a written fixed price. Verge work has no reliable national price range, so none is printed here.
Signs the verge needs attention now
Look at the gable ends from the pavement or garden. Mortar or pieces of it on the ground, a visible gap between the edge tile and the wall, an edge tile standing higher than the row beside it or a ridge end that looks hollow are all signs. After a storm, check for tiles on the ground near the gable. A single edge tile that has gone can let the next ones follow quickly.
Another sign is water staining on the gable wall just below the roof line, which suggests rain is running behind the verge. If you can see any of these, it is better to have the verge looked at before the next winter. Our answer on ridge tile types shows how the capping at the top of a roof is chosen to match the covering.
