An inspection is only as good as the list behind it. A roofer who walks up, glances round and says the roof looks fine has told you very little. A proper inspection works through a sequence of parts, each with its own typical faults, and records what it finds against each one. This guide sets out that sequence: the view from the ground, the covering, the ridge and edges, the lead and chimneys, the gutters and eaves, any flat roofs and roof windows, and the roof space underneath. For each item it explains what is being looked for and what the finding means. It is written for owners who want to know what they are paying for, for landlords who need a repeatable standard, and for anyone comparing one inspector's report with another's. Some parts can be judged from the ground and some need a closer look, which is why the final section covers how the findings are recorded and how certain each one is.
Starting from the ground
A roofer starts by standing back. From the pavement, the garden and the neighbouring plot, the roof shows its shape, and the shape reveals problems before any detail does. The ridge should be a straight line. A dip along it, or a slope that has gone slack between the rafters, suggests the timbers below have moved. Slopes that look different from one another can mean part of the roof was replaced at another time, with another material.
The ground also shows what has fallen. A slate or tile in the flower bed, a heap of moss at the foot of a downpipe, or a chunk of mortar on the path points straight to a place on the roof. Stains on the walls below tell us where water has been spilling, since a tide mark under a gutter joint, or a dark streak beneath a flashing, shows a leak long before the ceiling inside does.
We look at the junctions between the roof and everything else: the party wall, the chimney, an extension, a dormer. Those are where roofs most often leak, and a brief scan from distance helps us decide what to inspect up close. If part of the roof cannot be viewed safely from any position, the report records that part as not inspected. Sometimes a camera on a pole joins in at this point; the limits of that method are set out in our pole camera page.
The ground view is a quick part of the visit. It sets the order of work and flags the parts that need the most attention.
The roof covering
The covering is the visible skin of the roof, whether slate, clay or concrete tile, stone, or a sheet material. The checks vary a little with the material, but the questions are the same: is each unit in place, is it sound, and is it held?
On slate, we look for slipped, cracked or missing slates and for the telltale lines where one slate has dropped below the course next to it. Slipping is usually a fixing problem, since the nails have rusted or the holes have worn. Iron and poorly galvanised nails rust long before slate does, and the failure spreads across a slope. Copper, aluminium and silicon-bronze are the nail materials that last. On tiles, we check for cracks, chips, frost damage to the face, and tiles that have crept out of line. Peg-tiled and stone roofs get the same treatment, with extra care because their units are harder to replace.
Moss and lichen come next. A thin film is mostly cosmetic. A deep cushion soaks up rain, presses against the surface, pushes tiles up at their edges and clogs the joints between units. We note where it is heaviest, since a shaded north slope or the lee of a tree often shows it first. We also note patching: fresh-looking slates, mismatched tiles, dabs of mortar or sealant. Every patch marks a past problem, and a slope covered in them points towards failing fixings across the whole area.
At the end of this stage, the report records the covering's type, its general condition by slope and a count of the defects that matter.
Ridge, hips and verges
Three features frame the covering. The ridge runs along the summit. Hips are the angled lines on a hipped roof, and verges trim the sloping edge of a gable. All three take the full force of the wind.
These are normally finished with ridge or hip pieces bedded on mortar, or with a dry-fix system that clips the pieces down. We check for pieces that have cracked, shifted or fallen, for mortar that has crumbled or been washed out, and for gaps at the ends. A ridge that is merely bedded in old mortar can feel solid and still be loose. Since BS 5534:2014, a mechanical fixing is expected alongside any bedding, so an older ridge is checked to see whether it has one.
At the verge, the covering overhangs the gable wall slightly and is sealed with mortar or a trim. We look for cracking in the mortar, slates or tiles that have lifted at the edge and signs that wind is getting under the covering. The verge is exposed, so it tends to show the first signs of age. Our guide to loft roof inspections covers what can be seen from the other side, where daylight at the ridge or verge gives the problem away.
A ridge fault is usually cheap to put right if caught early, and expensive if left until a piece falls. The report ranks it accordingly.
Lead, flashings, valleys and chimneys
Here the roof stops being a plain slope. These details count for most on an older house, because every one is a junction whose watertightness rests on a strip of metal or a seal.
Flashings and soakers
Where the covering butts against a stack or a wall, the strip of lead dressed over that joint is the flashing. Beneath it, soakers (little lead sheets, one per course) guide water back onto the slates. We check the flashing for lifting, splits, open laps and gaps in the mortar line where its upper edge is fixed. Lead that has been smeared with sealant has usually failed before, and the sealant is a patch rather than a repair.
Valleys and parapet gutters
A valley forms the internal corner at which two slopes empty into a single line. The parapet gutter works the same way behind a stone wall at the eaves, in a bed of lead. Heavy flows put these under strain, and they fail at laps, drips and age splits. They are checked for splits, for debris that blocks the flow and for the staining that shows water going the wrong way.
Chimneys
The stack is looked at from base to pots. We check the pointing, the stone or brick, the flaunching, which is the mortar slope at the top, and any cowl or pot. Cracks, loose bricks and open joints let water in and make the stack unstable. Staining inside the chimney breast, visible in the loft or on a bedroom wall, links back to this stage.
Gutters, eaves and rainwater pipes
The gutters carry the roof's water to the drains, so their faults show up elsewhere: damp walls, stained render, waterlogged ground at the foot of the building. We look at the whole route.
On the gutters, the checks are for blockage, joints that leak, brackets that have dropped, and sections that sag so water collects. Standing water after rain is the practical sign that a run is not draining. Cast iron rusts at the joints and cracks with age. Plastic gutters can bow in the sun and lose their grip on the brackets. Aluminium dents and can come adrift where fixings are spaced too widely. We check the outlets, the downpipes and the shoes at the base, and note any staining on the wall that shows where water has been spilling.
Along the eaves the fascia boards (the face of the roof edge) and soffits (the underside) come under scrutiny. Soft or flaking timber means water has been getting in, and often a gutter has been leaking above. Open gaps in the soffit give birds and insects a way into the roof space. We also check how the bottom course of the covering meets the gutter, since a slate that stops short will drop water behind the run, and one that overhangs too far will miss it.
Gutters need cleaning at intervals, and the inspection notes whether a run is blocked now or likely to be soon. The report distinguishes between a clean-out and a repair, and it prices them separately.
Flat roofs, roof windows and penetrations
A flat roof is judged on different terms from a pitched one. The surface is a single membrane, not a pattern of overlapping units, so one split or lifted seam can let water through. We look for ponding, blisters, cracks and splits, bare patches where the finish has worn off, and lifted edges at the upstands, the short turned-up edges against a wall.
Drainage is central. A flat roof must fall towards its outlet, and BS 6229:2018 guidance, as summarised by one manufacturer, recommends a minimum fall of 1:80 with 1:40 as the design target. Water lying on the surface a day after rain suggests the surface has lost its fall or the outlet is choked. We check the outlets and any gutters for blockages, and the edge trims for gaps. Material matters as well: felt blisters, rubber punctures, fibreglass cracks and lead splits at laps.
Roof windows and rooflights are checked next. The glass and frame are looked at for cracks and failed seals, and the flashing around each one for gaps and lifting. A window that was fitted well can still leak if the lead around it has failed. Condensation between the panes suggests a broken seal.
Finally, we look at everything that pokes through the roof: soil vents, flue pipes, aerial brackets, solar panel fixings. Each is a hole in the covering that has been sealed, and sealants age. The report lists them, and any that look suspect are marked for closer attention.
The roof space, and how findings are recorded
Where the roof space can be reached safely, the inspection goes inside. Looking up at the covering from below, we see the battens (the strips of timber that the slates or tiles are hung on) and the underlay (the membrane under them). Daylight showing through the covering, wet or stained timber, rotted battens and torn underlay all tell us something that the outside cannot. We check the rafters and other structural timbers for decay and insect damage, and look at the insulation and the ventilation, since a roof that cannot breathe will gather condensation. A full list of what is looked at inside is in our loft roof inspection guide.
Everything is recorded as we go. The report lists each item on this checklist, what was seen and how sure we are. Findings fall into three groups: confirmed defects, probable defects that need a closer look, and parts we could not see. Each is tied to a labelled photograph of your own roof, so the report reads as evidence rather than opinion.
Defects are ranked by urgency: make safe now, repair soon, plan for later. Cost comes after, not before. MyBuilder's roof inspection guide (2026) gives typical UK ranges of £150 to £500 for inspections, with a standard one at £150 to £250. A fixed quote for any work follows from the survey.
The report is also useful beyond the repair. Used with care, it can support an insurance claim, and our guide to a roof report for insurance explains what insurers look for. It also forms a record of condition for a sale, a lease or a handover. The overall approach is on our roof inspections page, and a report dated soon after any repair gives you a fixed point to compare against at the next check.