When you buy a house, the roof is one of the parts that’s hardest to see and most expensive to put right. Yet many buyers rely on the lender’s valuation, or on a home survey that covers the whole building, and never get a close look at the roof itself.
Not everyone needs a separate roof survey. But for older houses, roofs with known problems and properties with flat-roofed extensions, it can answer questions that other reports leave open. This guide explains how a roof survey fits in, when it’s worth booking, and how to use what it tells you.
Valuations, home surveys and roof surveys
There are three kinds of report you might come across when buying:
- The mortgage valuation. This is for your lender. It helps them decide whether the property is good security for the loan. It isn’t a survey of condition.
- A RICS home survey (Level 2 or Level 3). This looks at the whole property. The roof is one part of it, often seen from the ground. If the surveyor has concerns, they may recommend further investigation.
- A roof survey. This looks only at the roof, in more depth. It covers coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and the roof space where there’s safe access.
A pre-purchase roof survey complements a home survey. It doesn’t replace one. Our guide to roof surveys and RICS surveys sets out the differences in detail.
When a separate roof survey makes sense
It’s worth thinking about a roof survey if any of these apply:
- The house is Victorian or Edwardian, with a slate roof, a butterfly roof, parapet gutters or shared chimney stacks.
- Your home survey has flagged the roof, a chimney or the gutters and recommended further investigation.
- You can see slipped or missing slates, a dipping ridge or plants growing from gutters.
- There are stains on top-floor ceilings or damp patches on chimney breasts.
- The property has flat-roofed extensions, dormers, garages or porches.
- The roof is hard to see from the street, so a home surveyor may have had only a limited view.
- It’s a flat in a block and the lease may make you share the cost of roof repairs.
- The building is listed or in a conservation area, where repairs may need particular materials or permission.
If the building was built or refurbished before 2000, our report may also flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheet roofs or soffits. We don’t test for asbestos. A specialist asbestos surveyor should check those before they’re disturbed.
When you might not need one
If you’re buying a newer house, your home survey raised nothing about the roof, and you can see the roof clearly from the street and it looks tidy, a separate roof survey may add little. The same goes if you’re planning to replace the roof anyway as part of bigger works.
It’s your decision. A roof survey is most useful when there’s a real question about the roof and an answer would change what you do next.
Want a roof surveyed? We cover London and the South East, with written reports and photos from £150 including VAT. Book a survey or call 07833 053749.
When to book it
The best time is after your offer has been accepted and before exchange. That leaves time for the survey, the report, and any questions to the seller through the estate agent or your conveyancer.
Report times depend on the package: within 48 hours for the Basic Survey, 24–48 hours for the Standard Survey and the same day for the Premium Survey. If your exchange date is close, tell us when you get in touch. You can see the packages side by side on our pricing page.
You’ll need the seller’s agreement for the visit, usually arranged through the agent. We can only inspect what the owner gives us access to. If a drone is used, we take care not to photograph neighbouring property more than we need to.
What the survey looks at
On a typical house we look at the slates or tiles, ridges, hips and valleys, lead flashings and soakers, chimney stacks and pots, gutters and downpipes, fascias and soffits, and any flat roofs. Inside, we check the roof space where it’s safe to enter, looking for daylight, damp staining, the underlay and the timbers we can see.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where applicable and structural analysis. There’s a fuller list on the page about what our survey covers. Time on site is usually about 1–2 hours for a house.
How buyers use the report
The report is written, with photographs, and sets out the condition of the roof, the defects found and written recommendations. Buyers use it to ask the seller questions, get quotes from roofers and decide whether to renegotiate.
One real example from our case studies: on a Victorian terrace in Islington, a pre-purchase survey found slipped slates, problems with the chimney flashing and blocked gutters. Thermal imaging was used as part of the inspection. About £8,500 of repairs were identified, and the buyer negotiated this with the seller.
Every sale is different, and a report can’t promise any change to the price. Our guide on using a roof report to negotiate explains how to present the findings.
What a roof survey can’t tell you
Our survey is a specialist roof survey. It isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey, and it isn’t a structural engineer’s report. It doesn’t cover the rest of the house, and it can’t see under slates, tiles or membranes, or inside walls, without opening them up. It isn’t an asbestos survey, and no survey can promise that a roof won’t leak in future.
If you want to talk through whether a roof survey suits the house you’re buying, call 07833 053749 or get in touch.
Quick answers
Is a roof survey the same as a homebuyer survey?
No. A RICS home survey covers the whole property. A roof survey looks only at the roof, in more depth. Many buyers have both.
When should I book a roof survey when buying?
After your offer is accepted and before exchange, so there’s time to read the report and raise questions.
Does the seller need to agree?
Yes. The visit is usually arranged through the estate agent, and we can only inspect what the owner gives access to.
Can a roof survey reduce the price I pay?
It can give you evidence to raise with the seller, but it can’t promise any change to the price.
Related services
More advice
- Using a Roof Report to Renegotiate a House Price
- Roof Survey vs RICS Level 2 and Level 3 Surveys
- How Much Does a Roof Survey Cost?
- Victorian Terrace Roofs in London: Common Defects
- All advice
This guide is general information about roofs and roof surveys. It isn’t legal, insurance or structural engineering advice; for those, speak to a suitably qualified professional.