When someone books a roof survey, they usually have one worry in mind: a brown ring on the landing ceiling, a tile found on the lawn, a surveyor's note on a house they want to buy. A proper survey looks wider than that worry. It is a check of the whole weather-shedding system of a building, from the covering on top to the timbers you can see from the loft hatch, and it ends with a record you can use.
It is also a defined piece of work, not a promise that nothing can ever go wrong. This guide sets out what a roofer's survey normally includes, part by part, and where it stops. It is about the scope of the roof survey itself. If you are weighing it against a full building survey, our answer on roof survey or full building survey compares the two. The wider service is described under roof inspections and surveys.
Starting with the covering: slates, tiles and the surface you can see
The covering is whatever keeps the rain out on top: clay or concrete tiles, natural slate, Cotswold stone slate, or, on a flat roof, a single-piece skin: EPDM (a rubber sheet laid in one go) or GRP (fibreglass resin cured in place). The survey looks at the whole surface, slope by slope.
On a pitched roof we look for slipped, cracked, chipped or missing pieces, for slates that have dropped from their fixings, and for gaps in the pattern of the courses. We note where moss, lichen or debris is holding water against the surface. On a stone roof we start with the pegs and the slates themselves, because stone slates are hung rather than nailed and a slate can look sound from the ground while sliding in its hole.
On a flat roof the picture is different. We look for ponding (standing water that has not drained), blisters, splits, lifted edges, worn seams and signs of repairs layered over earlier repairs.
Matching the covering to its age
A survey also notes what the covering is, roughly how old it appears and how it is wearing. Typical lifespans differ widely by material and depend on exposure and workmanship. Natural slate is quoted by MyBuilder at 80 to 100 years or more, and the Cotswold District Council guidance says a well-kept stone roof can last for a century or longer. Both are typical ranges and neither is a promise. A survey records condition as found and does not run a countdown.
Ridges, hips and verges
Wind concentrates on three edges. The ridge is the very top line. A hip rises diagonally from an outward corner when the roof is hipped. The verge is where the slope ends at a gable wall. Each is finished with special pieces, and each gets lifted from underneath in a gale, so defects collect there.
We look at whether ridge and hip tiles are firmly seated, whether the mortar beneath them is cracked or missing, and whether there are signs of movement along the line. BS 5534:2014 requires mechanical fixing of ridge and hip pieces, and the Marley technical guidance says mortar alone cannot be relied on to hold them. A survey therefore notes whether the ridge is bedded only in mortar or also held by clips or fixings, and recommends a fix if it is not. A dry-fix system, which fixes the pieces with clips and fittings and no wet mortar, falls under BS 8612.
At the verge we look for cracked pointing, loose cloaking (the tiles or slates that overhang the gable wall) and gaps where wind-driven rain can enter.
Ridges and verges are checked from as close as the access allows. Where a ladder cannot reach safely, the survey says what was seen from a distance and what was not.
Chimneys, flashings and the joints where water gets in
Leaks tend to begin at junctions, where the roof butts against something else, rather than in an open slope. That is why chimneys and flashings take a large share of a survey.
The stack
We look at the brickwork or stonework of the chimney stack for open joints, loose pots, damaged flaunching (the sloping mortar fillet that holds the pot and sheds water), and signs of movement. Our guide to chimney inspection covers this in detail.
Flashings
Flashing is the waterproof strip, normally lead, that closes the gap where roof meets masonry such as a chimney or party wall. We check that lead flashings are tucked into the masonry, that they have not lifted or split, and that any sealant or mortar fillet used to patch them has not failed. Sheet lead is graded by code, which is a thickness. Leadworx describes Code 4 as the usual pick for ordinary flashings, and we note whether what is up there looks adequate for its position. Soakers, the small folded lead pieces woven into slate or tile courses against a wall, are checked wherever they can be seen.
Abutments and rooflights
Another weak point is the sealing detail where a pitched roof runs into a taller wall, or where a roof window or rooflight is set into the slope. We look at the surround, the flashing kit and the glazing seal.
Valleys, gutters and the roofline
Where two slopes form an inside corner, the valley collects the run-off of both. A defect there is felt quickly. We look at lead or other valley linings for splits and lifted edges, at the tiles or slates along the valley edges for cracks and gaps, and at debris that has built up and is holding water.
Old Cotswold stone roofs often have a swept valley, curved in cut stone with no lead channel. The survey records what kind of valley the roof has, because the repair depends on it. The council's 2000 guidance regards lead-lined alternatives as cheaper but less satisfactory, which matters if an earlier repair has altered the original.
Gutters and downpipes
We check that gutters are fixed, free-flowing and falling toward the outlet. Makers differ by system, giving a slight slope towards the outlet of roughly 1:600 to 1:350. The usual faults are sagging runs, cracked joints and blocked outlets. We also look for stained walls below, where an overflowing gutter has been spilling for a while.
Fascias, soffits and bargeboards
The roofline is the timber or uPVC edge below the tiles at the eaves and on the gable. We look for rot, splits, flaking paint, lifted soffits and gaps that let in birds or insects. A rotted fascia often points to a gutter problem above it.
Looking from inside: the loft
What the roof does shows from underneath. A loft visit is therefore part of a proper survey wherever the loft can be reached safely.
Underlay and battens
Underlay is the membrane under the covering that catches wind-blown rain and condensation. From the loft we look for torn or sagging underlay, daylight showing through gaps, battens that are rotten or have split, and nail sickness.
Timbers
Rafters, purlins and ridge boards are checked for staining, soft or damp timber, signs of insect activity and any sagging in the line of the roof. A survey notes what is visible. It is not a structural calculation, and we say if a timber needs an engineer's opinion.
Ventilation and condensation
A cold roof needs air to move through the void, and BS 5250 sets out the principles. We look at whether eaves vents are blocked by insulation, whether there is any ventilation at the ridge, and whether mould or droplets have formed beneath the covering. Our guide to the loft inspection explains these checks one by one.
Insulation
We note the type and rough depth of the insulation and whether it has been pushed against the eaves. Spray foam is a special case. RICS issued consumer guidance in March 2023, and as of November 2024 some lenders were declining to lend on homes with it, so we record it where we find it and leave the lender question to you.
Photographs and the written report
The record is the useful end product. After the visit you should receive a written report with photographs of your own roof, not stock images, with each finding tied to a place on the building.
A good report names the parts looked at, describes each defect plainly, says how urgent it is and says what we recommend, from leave and watch to repair or replace. Photographs are numbered and referenced in the text, so that anyone reading it, whether a roofer quoting for the work, a buyer or an insurer, can follow what is meant. Our guide on roof condition reports explains how to read the ratings and recommendations.
How the report links to a quote
Where the findings call for work, we follow with a written quote. Because the report and the quote refer to the same defects, you can see exactly what the work is for. National cost guides help here. MyBuilder's 2026 guide puts a standard survey at £150 to £250, a drone survey at £200 to £400 and a thermal survey at £300 to £500, so the fee for the survey itself is easy to set against the repair figures that follow.
What a roof survey does not cover
A roof survey has limits, and a good surveyor states them.
It is a visual record on the day
The survey reports what could be seen, from the places the surveyor could safely reach, on the day. It cannot see under a covering that is firmly in place, inside a sealed void, or behind a fixed ceiling. It cannot say what will fail next winter.
It is not a structural survey or a guarantee
A roofer's survey does not calculate loads or design strengthening. If a timber looks overstressed or a roof is sagging, the report says so and recommends an engineer. A survey is also not a warranty. It does not insure the roof against future defects, and a lifespan is a typical range, not a commitment.
It is not a full building survey
Damp in a ground-floor wall, subsidence, drains, wiring and the condition of the rest of the property sit outside it. A homebuyer who needs the whole picture will want a building survey as well as the roof survey, and our guide to what to do when a homebuyer survey flags the roof covers that path.
It does not replace an inspection by other methods
Flights and thermal scans see things a ladder cannot, and the reverse is also true. Our guide to drone roof surveys covers what that method shows and what stays hidden. Asbestos cement sheeting, where it appears on a garage or outbuilding, is flagged for careful handling under HSE guidance, not treated as a repair job.