Do I need a roof survey?

Some moments call for a proper look at the whole roof. Buying a house is the first: a homebuyer report may note only that the roof was viewed from below, whereas a hands-on inspection records the covering, the structure underneath and the state of the details. Planning a re-roof is another, since the scope and the price depend on what is under the tiles. Our guide to why survey before a re-roof explains why.

After a storm, or after an obvious problem such as a leak whose origin stays a mystery however hard you look, a survey tells you where water is getting in and whether other faults are waiting. A survey is also useful when you have inherited a property, when the roof history is unknown, or when you have an older roof with a covering that is hard to judge by eye. In each case, the survey gives you facts to act on.

A survey is not always the right tool. If one tile has slipped, a gutter joint drips or a ridge tile has come loose, a roofer can look, fix and quote in one visit. Paying for a separate report would add little. The same goes for a roof you know well, that is not old, and where nothing has changed.

The test is whether you need an independent record or whether you just need the fault fixed. A written report helps if someone else has to rely on it, such as a buyer, a landlord, a lender or an insurer. If it is only for your own decision, a roofer's survey photographs and written quote often do the same job. Our answer on free roof inspections explains what a quote visit does and does not include.

The roof's age is a useful guide, although a stated lifespan is only ever a typical range and never a promise. Concrete tiles, clay tiles, natural slate and flat roof membranes age at different rates, and exposure, workmanship and upkeep all play a part. A roof of unknown age deserves a closer look sooner than one that was laid within memory.

Flat roofs and extensions are common weak spots because the coverings wear out faster than pitched ones. Older roofs with lead valleys, soakers (small pieces of lead that tuck beneath tiles at an abutment) and mortared ridges all have details that can fail without any sign from the ground. Roofs with solar panels, rooflights or a chimney have extra junctions to check. If any of this matches your house, a survey is more likely to be worth the cost.

Your ceilings and loft often tell you more than the outside. A brown ring on a ceiling, damp patches at the top of a wall, peeling paint, a musty smell or black mould in a corner can all point to water coming in. They can also be condensation, where warm air meets a cold surface, and a survey is how you tell the two apart. Our page on damp in the loft explains what an inspection looks for.

In the loft, look for daylight, wet insulation, stained timbers and gaps around the chimney. If you find these, do not wait for winter. Small leaks get worse as timbers soak and rot, and repairs are cheaper before that happens. Our guide to what to check in your loft gives a simple routine.

MyBuilder's roof inspection guide, updated in August 2026, puts roof inspections at £150 to £500, with standard inspections at £150 to £250, drone surveys at £200 to £400 and thermal surveys at £300 to £500. Those are typical UK ranges, so treat them as a rough guide only. What a particular building costs to inspect turns on its size, its height and the depth of report you want.

Look at what you get for the money. A useful survey has dated photographs, a plain description of each fault, an opinion on urgency and a note of anything that could not be seen. It should say what is sound as well as what is not. A page of general advice with no photographs is not worth much. How long the visit takes depends on the roof, and our answer on inspection time gives a sense of it.

First we ask what you are trying to decide. When a small repair covers it, that is the advice you get. When the roof is close to worn out, the reasons are laid out in photographs taken on your roof, and a written quote comes after the visit. Nobody is hurried into a decision on the day. Any work we carry out is guaranteed for 10 years on workmanship, in writing.

If you are weighing it up, gather what you have: the buyer's survey, any earlier roof papers and photographs of the ceilings or loft. Note what you can see and when it started. Ring 01793 626096, message us on WhatsApp or post the details through the website, and you will hear whether a survey would help or a simple visit will do. The roof inspections and surveys page lists every option.