Roof inspections and surveys

Every job we quote starts with an inspection, and we offer that inspection as a standalone service too, because plenty of people just want a straight answer about the state of their roof, whether that is before buying a house, before a big decision, or simply because they are not sure if something needs attention. Normally worth £199, we offer it free, with no obligation to book anything afterward.

What the inspection covers

• The full roof covering, checked for slipped, cracked or missing tiles or slates
• Lead flashing and valleys around chimneys, dormers and roof junctions
• Ridge and hip lines, checked for cracked mortar or a failing dry ridge system
• Guttering, fascias and soffits for rot, sagging or blockage
• The loft space where accessible, checked for daylight, damp staining or failed membrane

Everything is photographed as we go, so you get to see exactly what we saw, not a verbal summary you have to take on trust.

What we look for beyond the obvious

An inspection is not just a check for missing tiles. We look at the whole system working together, whether the ridge is still moving correctly, whether the valleys are clear enough to shed water fast in heavy rain, whether the loft is ventilating properly or holding moisture, and whether any previous repair work was done to a standard that will actually last. It is the difference between confirming nothing looks obviously wrong and genuinely understanding the condition of the roof.

Why we photograph everything

A roof inspection is only useful if you can see the evidence behind the conclusion. We take photographs of anything we find, good or bad, so a full clean bill of health is just as visible as a genuine problem. If we tell you the roof has years of life left, the photographs back that up.

When people book an inspection

• Before buying a house, alongside or instead of a full building survey's roof section
• After noticing a damp patch, a stain, or slipped tiles seen from the ground
• Before selling, to head off a survey finding that could hold up a sale
• As a periodic health check on an older roof, to plan ahead rather than react to a leak

What happens after

You get a written summary with photographs and, if any work is genuinely needed, a fixed price for it. If nothing needs doing, we say that plainly, no follow-up pressure and no upsell. See our roof leak detection page if you already have a specific symptom you want traced rather than a general inspection, or our roof repairs page for what happens next if a repair genuinely is needed.

How long an inspection report is useful for

Roofs age gradually, so an inspection carried out this year is a reliable picture of the roof's condition for some time afterward, though a significant storm or a new symptom, a fresh damp patch, a slipped tile seen from the ground, is always worth a fresh look rather than relying on an old report. If you are buying a house, get the inspection done as close to the purchase as practically possible.

What we cannot see from an inspection

An inspection covers the roof covering, structure and accessible loft space thoroughly, but it cannot see inside a wall cavity or detect a problem with no visible external or internal sign yet. We are honest about that limit rather than claim to catch everything, and where something needs a more invasive check, we will say so rather than give false reassurance.

Regular inspection as maintenance, not just reaction

Many of the more expensive jobs we are called out for started as a small, missed problem years earlier. Booking a periodic inspection, particularly on an older roof, catches deterioration while it is still cheap to fix, rather than waiting for a leak to force the issue at a worse time and often a higher cost.

Who usually asks for an inspection

We see the full range, first-time buyers wanting a second opinion alongside their survey, homeowners who spotted a tile on the lawn after a windy night, landlords checking a rental property between tenancies, and people simply getting older properties looked at as part of general upkeep. Whatever the reason, the inspection itself is carried out to the same thorough standard.

Whichever reason brought you to booking one, you leave with the same thing, a written summary, dated photographs, and an honest answer about what your roof actually needs, if anything.

Areas we cover

Free inspections across Wisbech, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Norwich, Cambridge and the rest of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, west Suffolk and south Lincolnshire.