There are two things called a roof survey in Britain and they are not the same product. One is a free visit from a contractor who would like the work. The other is a paid inspection by somebody who will not be quoting, whose output is a written report you can hand to an insurer, a buyer or a second contractor. Knowing which you are buying is most of the value.
The free visit and the paid survey
A contractor's free survey is a sales visit, and that is not a criticism: it is how the trade prices work, and a good one will tell you plainly what the roof needs. What it will not do is give you an opinion with no interest in the outcome, and it rarely produces a document. A paid survey buys independence and paper. Where the question is what is wrong, the free visit is often enough; where the question is whether the contractor is right, or whether a roof has years left before you buy the house, it is not.
Roof surveyors near me: who carries out a domestic roof survey
Roofing contractors survey roofs to quote for them. Chartered building surveyors survey roofs as part of a building survey and can be instructed on the roof alone. Specialist inspection firms, increasingly with drones, sell the inspection as the product. For a purchase, a chartered surveyor's report carries weight with lenders and solicitors that a contractor's does not; for a leak, a roofer usually finds it faster.
A conservatory roof structural survey before a solid roof
Replacing a glazed or polycarbonate conservatory roof with a solid, tiled one adds a great deal of weight to a structure that was designed to carry glass. A structural survey checks whether the frames, the dwarf walls and the base below them can take that load, or what has to be strengthened first. Ask for it before you sign for the new roof, not after.
What a conservatory roof structural survey looks at
The frame posts and the ring beam the roof sits on, any movement or cracking in the dwarf walls, the depth and condition of the foundation where it can be seen or dug for, and how the roof will be tied back to the house wall. A solid roof also changes the building control position of a conservatory, so the survey and the approval are usually arranged together.
What the report should contain
Dated photographs of every defect, because when a roof was in a given condition is exactly what an insurer or a buyer's solicitor will ask. Findings separated from interpretation and both separated from recommendations. An explicit list of what was not inspected and why, since almost every roof has areas nobody could reach safely. And urgency graded rather than a flat list, so you can tell the leak from the maintenance and budget accordingly.
Finding an independent roof surveyor near me, and why independence is the point
The difference that matters is whether the person inspecting the roof stands to gain from what they find. A contractor's free survey is a sales visit and is often competent and useful; it is not independent. A paid survey from someone who does not do the remedial work has no reason to find anything that is not there, and is the right choice before buying a house, before accepting a large quotation, or when two contractors disagree. A chartered surveyor is the usual route and will report in a form a lender or a solicitor accepts. Expect the paid survey to cost a fraction of the work it may save you from.
Planned roof inspections on larger buildings
For a block of flats, a school or a commercial building, a single survey is less useful than planned roof inspections on a set cycle, each one recorded the same way so that a defect can be seen developing between visits. The value is in the comparison, so keep the reports, the photographs and the plan of the roof together and give them to whoever inspects next.
Questions people ask about roof surveys
How much does a roof inspection survey cost?
It depends on access and on who signs it. Vidda gives photos only inspections from £150 and surveys with a written report from £300. Aircam gives a drone roof inspection from £195 plus VAT for a typical house, and Impact Aerial £250 to £750. A close inspection from a scaffold costs what the scaffold costs.
Do I need a survey before buying a house?
A standard homebuyer report inspects what is visible and safely accessible, which for a roof is often the view from the ground and the loft hatch. Where it flags the roof for further investigation, that further investigation is a roof survey, and it is cheaper than discovering the answer afterwards.
Will a roofer's free survey find a leak?
Often, and quickly, because finding leaks is what they do all week. What it will not give you is an independent second opinion on the repair they then quote for, which is the reason paid surveys exist.
Should I pay for a roof survey or use a free one?
A contractor's free survey is a sales visit, often competent but not independent. Pay for an independent survey before buying a house, before accepting a large quotation, or when two contractors disagree.
Does a conservatory roof structural survey have a standard price?
Installers rarely publish one, because it depends on whether a structural engineer is needed, whether the foundation has to be dug for, and whether it is bundled into the roof quote. Ask for it to be priced separately so you can see what you are paying for.