The short answer
A telescopic pole carries a camera, usually with a live view on a handset, up the side of the building to the eaves, gutters and sometimes the ridge. The operator takes photographs and video from the ground. It suits single and two-storey roofs, quick checks and awkward spots, but it cannot touch, lift or test anything, and it sees less than a roofer up close.
What the equipment is
A pole camera is a lightweight camera head fixed to the top of a telescopic pole, which extends in sections to a height that depends on the model. The camera sends a live picture to a handset or phone, so the operator can steer the pole, frame the view and take stills or video. Some heads tilt and zoom, and some have a light for gutters and soffits in shade.
It is a close cousin of drone surveys, but quieter and simpler. There is no flight, no airspace question, and no need to wait for good conditions beyond dry, calm weather that lets the operator hold the pole steady. For a roofer, it is a way to look at places you would otherwise reach by ladder.
Our guide to roof inspection methods sets pole cameras alongside ladders, drones and loft inspection, and shows where each one fits.
What it can show
Used well, a pole camera shows the condition of gutters and fascias, the state of lead at a chimney, whether ridge and hip tiles sit evenly, and whether moss has built up on a slope. It will reveal a slipped tile at the eaves, a broken slate you cannot see from the road, a blocked gutter outlet, or a nest in a soffit gap.
The images are useful in their own right. You can compare them over time, send them to a managing agent or a lender, and keep them with the roof's records. They also help an owner who has never seen the top of their own chimney decide whether a closer look is worth paying for.
Each picture carries a note of where it was taken and what it shows, which lets someone who has never seen the roof follow the story. For the way we organise and label the pictures, see our page on roof inspection photos.
What it cannot do
A camera cannot touch anything. It cannot lift a tile to check the battens, press a flashing to see if it has come away from the wall, test a mortar joint or tell how soft a section of timber is. It sees one angle at a time, and reflections from wet slates or glossy tiles can hide the detail you want.
Height also limits it. The pole reaches the eaves and gutters of a two-storey house well, but the upper slopes, the ridge and the far side of the roof may not be visible. A tall chimney on a steep roof may be out of range completely. For those, a drone, a ladder or a scaffold tower gives a better view.
It also cannot see inside the roof. Timbers, felt and insulation need a loft inspection, which our page on roof timber survey covers.
When it suits
A pole camera is a good fit for single-storey extensions, bungalows, garages and low porches, where the whole roof is within reach. It suits a quick check after a storm, a look at gutters and fascias, and a first view of a property you are thinking of buying. It also helps when a ladder would be awkward, for example over a conservatory, a flat roof edge or a steep driveway.
MyBuilder's roof inspection guide, updated in August 2026, lists a national range of £150 to £500, with standard inspections at £150 to £250 and drone work at £200 to £400. Those are third-party figures for the method generally, not our prices. A written quote follows our survey.
If a pole camera finds something, the next step is usually a close look. Our page on what to do after a roof report explains how to decide.
Pole camera or roofer on the roof?
The honest answer is that they do different jobs. A camera gives you a record at low cost and low risk. A roofer on the roof gives you hands-on checking: lifting, pressing, probing, measuring. For a roof you suspect has a real fault, the close inspection answers more questions, and it is the one we recommend when the camera shows something unclear.
We choose the method to suit the building and the question. A railway terrace with a tall rear wing may need a ladder or tower, while a bungalow may need only the pole. Either way the findings arrive as pictures of your own roof, with the written quote alongside.
Where we do use a pole, we will tell you what it could not reach, so the report never implies that a part of the roof was checked when it was not. That limit matters most on tall houses, where the ridge and the far slope are often beyond the reach of any pole. The overview under roof inspections and surveys shows how the methods combine.
Getting good pictures from the ground
Results depend on technique. The operator stands back from the wall so the pole leans away from the building, keeps the camera steady against the wind, and takes each shot square on to the surface, since an angled view foreshortens tiles and hides cracks. Good light helps: low sun can throw shadows that look like gaps, while soft, even daylight shows the surface plainly.
A series is better than a single frame. We take a wide view of each slope, then closer shots of the eaves, the gutters, any lead and any tile that looks out of place. Video can fill gaps between stills, and a reading is only as good as the angles that were tried.
Keep the pole clear of overhead cables, which is a basic safety point for any telescopic equipment used outside.
Not sure whether you need a roofer or a surveyor at all? Our page on roofer or surveyor may help, and what a roof survey covers lists what is included.