What should I check when my new roof is finished?

Start with the roof from the ground

You cannot climb up, and you should not try, but a good deal is visible from the ground and from the windows of neighbouring rooms. Stand back far enough to see each slope in full, and ideally look at the roof in dry daylight, when shadows show up any unevenness.

• Straight courses. Tiles or slates should run in clean horizontal lines, and vertical joints should step evenly. A wandering line points to poor setting out.
• Ridge and hips. Capping tiles should sit evenly and look tidy at the ends. Ask how they are fixed, since BS 5534:2014 expects mechanical fixing and does not rely on mortar alone.
• Verges. The verge is the sloping side edge where the slope finishes beside a gable end. It should look sealed and straight, with no gaps where wind could lift the first tiles.
• Matching. If part of an older roof was kept, the new material should sit comfortably beside it in size and style, even if it looks brighter for now.
• Chimney and wall junctions. Lead should be neat, tucked in, and free of crumpled or torn patches.

A pair of binoculars is a good idea. They let you inspect detail without leaving the ground, and you can show the roofer exactly what you mean when you ask a question.

The metalwork, gutters and fittings

Water leaves a roof by way of its edges and joints, so these are where a new job should be looked at hardest. Flashing is lead tucked into a joint to turn rain away, and a soaker is the small piece of lead woven in with each course beside a chimney or wall. Neither can be judged by touch from the ground, but the finished line should be straight and flat against the stonework or brick.

Look at the valleys, where two slopes meet. Valley lead should be clean with tiles or slates cut neatly along each edge. Look too at the lead around any roof window and around the chimney stack. Where the old lead has been reused, ask why. Lead that has been through years of heat and cold can be brittle, so replacing it is the normal approach.

Gutters and downpipes are the next job. If the old ones were left in place, they should have been cleared of slate dust and bits of mortar, and each run should slope toward its outlet. After the first rain, watch the gutters. A joint that drips or a run that holds a pool is easier to put right while the roofer is still involved.

Finally, look at fascias, soffits and any vents. Eaves vents should be unblocked so that the loft can breathe, and no insulation should be pushed hard against the underside of the roof.

What to look for in the loft

Should the hatch be safe to reach, go up with a torch that same afternoon. This is the only time you will see the new underside with a clean slate. Look for daylight showing through the covering, which would mean a gap, and for any sign of a damp patch on the underlay or timbers.

The underlay should look continuous, with overlaps lying in the right direction and no torn areas. Battens will be visible running across the rafters at regular spacing. Rafters that were repaired or doubled up during the job should be left clean and firmly fixed.

Check the insulation too. If it was moved to allow the work, it should have been put back, and any new insulation should be laid without leaving gaps. Where a re-roof goes past the Building Regulations thresholds, the insulation may have been improved too, so the loft can look different from before. Ask the roofer to explain what was fitted and why.

The loft should be left tidy, without offcuts, nails or packaging. Anything stored up there before the job should be back in place or set aside for you. Take a few pictures of your own for your records.

Clean-up, the garden and the drive

A roof job sheds a surprising amount of small, sharp material, and the clear-up is part of the work. Walk the whole site. Start with the beds and lawn beside the walls, where nails and broken pieces fall, then the drive and any paths, and finally the gutters and gullies at ground level, where grit collects.

Waste should have gone. Old tiles, slates, battens and felt are bulky, and a skip or a licensed carrier should have taken them. Nothing should be left stacked at the side of the house unless you agreed to keep reclaimed slate or tiles. Where skips sat on the road or drive, the surface should show no damage.

A magnetic sweeper is one of the best tools for finding nails, and a good roofer will have used one. It can be worth running a magnet over the drive yourself, particularly where a car is parked, since a single roofing nail can ruin a tyre.

Check that fences, plants, windows and conservatory roofs are as they were. Our page on how much mess a roof replacement makes describes what a tidy site looks like during the work and afterwards, so you know what to expect.

Photographs and paperwork to collect

Before the scaffold goes, ask for photographs of the finished roof and, where possible, of the stages that were covered up. Pictures of the underlay, the battens and the lead before the covering went over them are the only record of what lies underneath, and they are useful if you sell the house or ever need to show what was done.

Then gather the documents. Expect to receive the following.

• The written guarantee. Ours is a 10-year workmanship guarantee in writing. It covers our work, and it is not an insurance policy.
• The invoice, matching the fixed price agreed after the survey, with any agreed extras itemised.
• Building Regulations paperwork, where the work was notifiable. This may be a completion certificate from the council or a registered building control approver. The Building Regulations for a re-roof are explained on their own page.
• Product details, such as the make and type of tiles, slates and underlay, so you can match them for a later repair.

Keep all of it in one folder, with the photographs. If only part of the roof has been renewed, our page on replacing one roof slope covers what to check at the join. Our roof replacement page sets out the whole service.