Should the roof be checked during cleaning?

From the ground, a roof is a pattern. On the slope, it is a hundred small details. Whoever is brushing or washing is already crossing the roof course by course, which is the way a proper inspection is done. Spending a few more minutes looking at what they pass adds little to the visit.

Moss also changes what you can see. A thick cushion can bridge a gap between two tiles, wedge a loose one in place or sit over a hairline crack. Take it off, and the gap, the slip or the crack is exposed. That is not damage caused by the cleaning; it is damage the moss was keeping out of sight, and it is better found on a dry day than in a storm.

A survey from the ground, or a drone, can tell you a good deal, and A full survey is priced in MyBuilder's 2026 inspection guide at £150 to £500. Our roof cleaning and moss removal work includes that look. A check made during cleaning is not a substitute for a full report, but it is a useful extra pair of eyes at the point where the roof is at its most visible.

The list is short and practical. Tiles or slates that have slipped from their line, and gaps in a course. Cracked or chipped pieces, especially at the edges where frost has worked on them. Ridge and hip pieces (the capping along the top and angles of the roof) that rock when touched, or whose mortar is crumbling. At the verge, the edge along a gable wall, the cement can fail and leave tiles unsupported.

Then the metalwork. Flashings are lead or other metal strips sealing the roof where it meets a chimney or wall; we look for lifted edges, split joints and failed pointing. Soakers, the small lead pieces tucked under each course at those joints, show a split as staining below. Stone roofs get a look at the oak pegs and the line of the courses.

Next come the valleys, the internal angles between slopes, and the area around vents and any roof windows. Debris collects in valleys, and a blocked one can overflow into the roof edge. Our guide to cleaning the whole roofline covers the gutters and downpipes that take the water away.

Anything found should be recorded with a picture of where it sits and shown to you, with a short note of where it is and how urgent it looks. A cracked tile near the ridge is a different matter from a lifted lead flashing above a chimney, and you should be told which is which in plain terms.

It is a good sign if the cleaner stops the work on a problem rather than carrying on over it. A slipped slate can fall during a wash. A loose ridge piece can shift under a boot. Making the area safe is one thing; deciding on a repair is another, and the second belongs to you.

We also note things that are not defects: heavy shade, a nearby tree dropping debris, a flat section that holds water. Those explain why the moss grew, and they help you decide on prevention. The answer on overhanging trees and roof moss deals with the shade question in particular.

A quote for cleaning is for cleaning. If the check turns up repairs, they should be quoted and agreed with you before anything is done. That protects you from a bill that grows on the day, and it protects the cleaner from doing work you did not want. A fair arrangement is a written note, with photographs and a price, sent after the visit if the repair is not urgent.

Typical national figures help judge what you are told. MyBuilder's 2026 slate roof guide gives £60 to £120 to replace a single slate, and £150 to £350 for five to ten. The same guide gives ridge tile re-bedding or replacement as £300 to £600. These are typical UK ranges, and access, height and the type of roof move them.

If a slope shows widespread wear, a repair list can grow into the question of replacing the covering. Then the written quote, after a proper survey, is the way to decide. Whatever we quote is for the whole job, with the workmanship guaranteed in writing for ten years.

Make it part of the booking. Say that you would like the roof looked over while it is cleaned, and that you want photographs of anything found. A cleaning firm that cannot do this, or is not interested, is telling you something about how it works.

Check that the quote says what happens if repairs turn up, see our answer on what a roof cleaning quote should include. Check, too, that nothing beyond cleaning is done without your say-so.

Where a roof has a history, tell us. A past leak, a previous repair, or a chimney that has been rebuilt are all worth knowing about, and they shape where we look hardest. Then, after the visit, keep the photographs. They give you a dated record of how the roof looked, useful if you later claim on insurance or sell the house. Our answer on whether moss should be removed at all gives the wider case for taking it off.