The short answer
A free roof inspection is worth having as a first look at an obvious problem, such as a missing tile or a stain. It usually covers the outside from the ground or a ladder, with a spoken opinion and perhaps a quote. For buying or selling, an insurance claim, or an old stone or slate roof, a paid written survey with photographs is the better choice.
What a free check usually includes
Most free checks are short. Someone walks round the house, looks up at the roof, perhaps goes up a ladder to a lower slope, and tells you what they see. You may get a few phone photographs and a quote for any work they think is needed. It is quick, costs nothing and answers the simple question of whether something is obviously wrong.
For a roof with one clear fault, that can be enough. If a tile came down in a gale, you do not need a report to know it must be replaced. The value is in speed and in getting a price for a defined job.
What it tends to leave out
A free check rarely includes the loft, a full walk over every slope, or a written record. It is often the roofer's opinion on the day, not a document you can use later. That is fine for a repair quote; it is thin when you need evidence. Few buyers, lenders or insurers will take a spoken opinion in place of a report.
There is also a built-in tension. Someone who is not charging for the visit makes their living from the work that follows, so findings can lean towards what is sellable. That does not make a free check dishonest, but treat it as one opinion, not an independent survey. If you are offered only a full re-roof, ask to see the evidence for it and compare it with another view. Our guide to what a roof survey costs shows what you pay for in a paid one.
When a paid survey is the better choice
Pay for a survey when the report itself is the product. That means before you buy a house, before you sell, when you are making an insurance claim, when a lender has queried the roof, or when you are planning major work and want a firm scope. It also suits roofs where the fixings are the issue, such as old stone slate and natural slate, because the inspection has to take in the loft and the timbers.
MyBuilder's 2026 inspection guide gives £150 to £500 as the range for a roof survey, with standard surveys at £150 to £250, drone surveys at £200 to £400 and thermal surveys at £300 to £500. For that you should receive pictures of the roof, a written condition summary and a clear order of priority. Set that against a typical full re-roof at £5,000 to £12,000 in MyBuilder's 2026 guide, and the survey is a small part of the cost.
Questions to ask about any free check
Ask whether the visit includes the loft and whether you will receive photographs. Ask what you will get in writing, and whether the quote will cover the whole job. Ask whether the person will go up on the roof or only look from the ground, and whether the same person will do the work. The answers tell you what sort of check it is.
Be cautious about anything that pushes urgency without evidence. A real fault can be shown to you in a picture. A frightening story with nothing to look at deserves a second opinion. After a storm a quick look can be useful, and our answer on inspecting a roof after a storm sets out what to check before you call anyone.
How a visit with us works
We prioritise leaks; a roof taking in water is made safe first, ahead of any other work. You finish with a set of pictures of your roof and a short written summary. If work follows, the quote covers scaffold, stripping, materials, labour, rubbish removal and making good, and national ranges are published beforehand so you can test the figures against sources such as MyBuilder.
Finished work is guaranteed for ten years in writing, and we leave the site clear. If you are selling and want the roof checked first, our guide to a roof survey before selling explains how a report can help. For the full range, see our roof inspections and surveys page, or phone 01453 933613.
Free checks, storm damage and insurance claims
If you plan to claim on insurance for storm damage, a free verbal look will do little for the claim. Insurers generally want to see what was damaged and when, which means dated pictures and a written description. A free check can tell you whether damage exists; a paid report puts it into a form a claims handler can use. Read your policy for what it requires and keep every document.
Where storm damage leaves the roof open, the sensible first step is a make-safe, a repair to stop water getting in, and a fuller survey can follow a few days later. Keep the damaged pieces if you can, and photograph the room below as well as the roof.
Free checks also have a place in routine upkeep. A neighbour's recommendation, a leaflet through the door and a roofer already working down the road can each produce a quick look. Treat it as a prompt to get proper evidence, not a diagnosis, and never agree to work on the spot, particularly if the person will not put anything in writing.