Roof Inspection Checklist: What a Proper Survey Should Cover

The roof covering

Every plane should be examined for slipped, cracked, delaminating or missing tiles or slates. On slate roofs, nail sickness — corroded fixings causing slates to slip in numbers — is the key thing to identify, because it dictates whether patch repair or re-covering is appropriate.

Surface condition matters too. Concrete tiles that have lost their factory finish and become rough and porous will hold moss and degrade faster, which is useful to know when planning maintenance intervals. Note the depth and distribution of moss, lichen and algae by elevation rather than as a single overall statement.

• Slipped, cracked, missing or delaminating tiles
• Nail sickness on slate roofs
• Tile surface porosity and general wear
• Moss, lichen and algae mapped by elevation
• Any previous repairs and their quality

Ridges, hips and verges

Mortar-bedded ridge and hip tiles are among the most common failure points on UK roofs. Look for cracked or missing bedding, hollow-sounding tiles, and any movement. A loose ridge tile is a genuine safety issue as well as a leak path.

Verges — the edge of the roof at a gable — should be checked for crumbling mortar or damaged dry-verge units. Failure here lets wind under the covering, which is how storm damage escalates from one tile to a whole row.

Valleys, flashings and abutments

Valleys carry the highest volume of water on a roof and are the first place a blockage causes ingress. They should be clear, correctly formed and free of corrosion or splitting on lead or fibreglass. Debris here is a priority finding.

Lead flashing at chimneys, parapets and where a roof meets a wall should be checked for lifting, splitting, missing wedges in the chase, and failed mortar pointing along the top edge. Most 'roof leaks' around a chimney are actually flashing failures rather than tile failures.

• Valley clearance and material condition
• Chimney flashing, soakers and back gutter
• Abutment flashing where extensions meet walls
• Pointing to the chimney stack and pot bedding
• Any lead that has lifted, cracked or been patched with sealant

Drainage and rainwater goods

Gutters, downpipes, outlets and gullies form a system and should be assessed as one. Check for blockages, standing water indicating poor fall, leaking joints, loose brackets, and whether downpipes discharge properly into a gully rather than onto the ground beside the wall.

Fascia and soffit condition sits alongside this: soft, rotting or delaminating boards are usually the visible result of a long-running gutter problem, and they need addressing before new guttering is fitted.

The loft interior and the report

Inside, look for daylight through the covering, damp or staining on rafters and felt, sagging or torn underlay, evidence of past leaks around chimneys, adequate insulation and, importantly, adequate ventilation. Blocked eaves ventilation causes condensation that is frequently misdiagnosed as a leak.

The output should be a written report with photographs, findings grouped into urgent, recommended and monitor-only, and clear pricing for anything proposed. If a survey does not distinguish between what must be done now and what can wait three years, it is a sales document rather than an inspection.

The bottom line

Use this checklist as a way of assessing the inspection as much as the roof. If a contractor's report covers the tiles but says nothing about the valleys, flashings, drainage or loft, it is not a survey — it is a look. The junctions and the drainage are where problems actually begin, and any report that skips them has skipped the important part.

A good report also tells you what not to do. Findings grouped into urgent, recommended and monitor-only give you a plan you can budget for across several years, rather than a single intimidating figure. If everything on a report is marked urgent, treat that as information about the contractor rather than about your roof.

Frequently asked questions