A homebuyer or building survey is written by a surveyor who looks at the whole house, often in a few hours. The roof is one part of a long report, and the note about it is often short: a line about slipped tiles, a comment on the chimney, or a recommendation for further investigation by a specialist. That sentence can move a purchase from comfortable to uncertain overnight.
It does not have to. A flagged roof is a question, not a verdict, and the answers can be found quickly if you go about it in order. This guide follows up a report you have already received. The earlier question, whether to commission a roof survey at all, is covered separately in our answer on needing a roof survey when buying. The service itself is described under roof inspections and surveys.
Read exactly what the report says about the roof
Start with the words on the page. Reports use a limited vocabulary, and a small difference in phrasing can mean a large difference in what follows.
Defect or maintenance note
Some comments describe something to keep an eye on, such as moss, weathered pointing or an ageing covering. Others describe an active fault, such as a leak stain in the loft, a missing ridge section or a sagging slope. The first kind usually leads to a repair estimate. The second kind often leads to a recommendation for specialist investigation.
How the surveyor looked
Find the section that says how the roof was inspected. A general surveyor often looks from the ground, from a ladder where one can be used, and from the loft hatch. If the report says the roof was seen only from a distance, or the loft was not accessible, that is a limit on the finding, and not necessarily a sign of a serious problem.
Urgency
Look for whether the roof is described as needing attention now, within a stated period, or at some point. Ask the surveyor to explain anything unclear. Surveyors will usually discuss their report if you call, and what they say on the phone, together with what they saw, is worth writing down.
Keep the full report, and the photographs if any are included, because the next steps all start from them.
Commission a specialist roof survey
When a report recommends a specialist, it means someone who works on roofs every day and can look closely, report in detail and say what the work would involve. A roofer's survey does that. What the visit includes is listed in our guide to what a roof survey covers.
Getting access
A buyer cannot usually book a roofer to climb over a house they do not own without the seller's agreement. Ask your agent or solicitor to arrange it. A drone or a visit from a ladder often meets the need, and sellers who want the sale to proceed are generally willing to help. Be clear about what the specialist will do and when, so the seller can plan around it.
Who pays and what it costs
The buyer normally pays for a survey they commission. MyBuilder's 2026 roof inspection guide puts a typical survey in the £150 to £500 range, with standard at £150 to £250, drone at £200 to £400 and thermal at £300 to £500. The figure is small compared with the price of the house and with the repairs it may uncover. Our guide to roof survey cost looks at what moves the figure.
What to give the roofer
Pass on the roof section of the homebuyer report, the surveyor's name and any photographs. A roofer who knows what the first surveyor saw can go straight to it, then look at the rest.
Ask for repair quotes before you exchange
The survey tells you what is wrong. A quote tells you what it costs, and you want the second before you commit.
Once contracts are exchanged you are bound to the purchase, so every figure that could change your mind needs to be in hand beforehand. Ask the roofer for a written quote that says clearly what it covers, so scaffold, stripping, materials, labour and clearance are all accounted for. That lets you see which parts are essential and which are optional, and lets you set one roofer's figure against another's.
Reference points
Published cost guides sketch the territory. Treat these as typical UK figures from 2026, not as a quote for any particular house. MyBuilder's roof repair guide gives £100 to £300 for a minor repair, £500 to £1,000 for a moderate one, and £2,500 upward for major work. Its slate guide gives £60 to £120 for one slate, and for ridge tiles that are re-bedded or replaced £300 to £600. For a chimney, MyBuilder gives £2,000 to £10,000 or more to rebuild a stack and about £750 on average to repoint. A full re-roof is £5,000 to £12,000, with gable roofs at £5,000 to £8,000 and hipped roofs at £8,000 to £12,000.
Special cases
A listed house, or one in a conservation area, should be flagged to the roofer immediately, since the work may need consent. We explain what consent applies and deal with the Building Regulations notification where the job is notifiable.
Get the quote in writing and in good time. A figure given on the doorstep cannot be shown to a seller or a solicitor.
What the specialist's findings can mean
Specialist surveys tend to land in one of three places. Knowing them in advance helps you plan.
The roof is fine, with minor upkeep
A small number of slipped tiles, some moss, a bit of pointing. A repair of a few hundred pounds, which you may do after completion. The original comment was cautious, and the specialist confirms it was not serious. This outcome removes the uncertainty and is worth the cost of the survey on its own.
Defined repairs are needed
A ridge to re-bed, a chimney to repoint, a flashing to replace or a valley to renew. The specialist describes the work, you have a quote, and the question becomes whether to ask the seller to cover or reduce the cost.
Major work or replacement
Repair has run out of road on the covering, the timbers underneath are affected, or the roof will need replacing. Typical lifespans vary by material and exposure. MyBuilder puts natural slate at 80 to 100 years or more and concrete tiles at 30 to 50 years, though sources disagree, and neither figure is a promise for the roof you are buying. Here the quote matters most.
A re-roof can also bring in Building Regulations, which usually apply once the work affects 25 per cent or more of the building envelope or 50 per cent or more of the roof. The Planning Portal sets out these thresholds. Check with your building control body, and expect a thermal upgrade to be part of the conversation if the whole roof is renewed.
Using the findings in negotiation
Negotiation runs between you and the seller, through agents and solicitors, and the legal side is for your conveyancer. What we can say is what makes a request easier to grant.
Bring evidence
A specialist's written report, photographs of the roof and a written quote are far more persuasive than a general worry. They show the seller a defined problem and a defined cost, rather than an open question. Our guide to roof condition reports shows how to read the ratings and photographs, which helps when you present them.
Common outcomes
The usual routes are a reduction in price, the seller carrying out the repair before completion, or some money held back until the work is done. Which is available depends on the sale, the chain and the seller. Ask your solicitor to advise on the mechanics and the wording.
Think about the lender
A mortgage lender may react to a roof comment in a valuation, and in some cases holds back funds until the work is done. If the roof has spray foam insulation, RICS issued consumer guidance in March 2023, and a Today's Conveyancer report in November 2024 listed several lenders that would not lend on such homes. Ask your broker at the start, not near the end.
Decide what you will accept
Before the conversation, settle on the outcome that works for you. If the work is modest, it may be simpler to take a price reduction and arrange it yourself, so the repair is done by someone you chose and the guarantee is in your name.
Timing, and what to do if the roof is old or complex
The sooner the roof is looked at, the more room you have. Arranging access, getting the survey done, receiving the report and obtaining quotes all take time, and a sale with a deadline leaves less choice. We prioritise leaks and storm damage, but survey slots depend on the roof, access and the date you need, and we will not promise a timescale we cannot meet. Ask your agent early.
Old stone and slate roofs
On a period house, the roof may be stone slate or old clay tile, and what a general surveyor sees from the ground may look worse, or better, than it is. Our guide to period roof surveys explains why those roofs need a different approach. Cotswold District Council's guidance records that on stripping, roughly 50% of the slates have commonly perished, which is why a re-lay quote starts from sorting the existing stone. A survey that looks only from the ground cannot make that call, and the specialist's note should say which slates were reached. A repair estimate for stone can therefore move once the first courses are lifted, which is another reason to ask early and to allow a margin in what you are prepared to pay.
Buy-to-let and landlords
If you are buying to let, the roof is also a recurring obligation, not just a purchase condition. Our guide to landlord roof inspections sets out a plan for planned checks and records.
If you decide to walk away
Sometimes the report, the survey and the quotes together show that the price is not right. That is a legitimate outcome. A specialist report and a quote cost little against the figures involved, and walking away with a clear reason is better than discovering the cost after you move in. The repairs, if you go ahead, carry our 10-year workmanship guarantee in writing.