The short answer
A roofer's survey is a look at the roof from outside and from the loft, with photos taken as the evidence. The roofer checks the covering, the ridge, the edges, the flashings, the gutters and the timbers beneath, then sends you the pictures with a plain explanation. A single written total price follows once the findings are clear, and you decide what happens next.
How a roofer walks round a house, what gets checked outside and in the loft, which photos to expect and how the written price follows.
Starting outside, from the ground up
The survey usually begins on the drive or in the road, where the whole roof can be seen at once. A roofer is reading the shape first: where the slopes meet, where the roof steps up to a neighbour, whether the ridge, the high line capping the roof, runs straight or dips.
Then comes the close work, from ladders, a tower or a roof ladder laid on the slope, depending on the house. The roofer looks at each slope for slipped, cracked or porous tiles, and at the edges. At a gable end the roof edge is called the verge, and its mortar bedding is a common place for cracks. Valleys, the internal channels where two slopes meet, are checked for debris and worn lining.
Flashings come next. A flashing is a lead or metal weathering sealing the joint between a slope and the wall or chimney beside it. Chimney stacks, gutters and the fascia boards behind them are checked too, since water can get in at one point and appear at another.
Nothing is lifted or taken apart at this stage. The aim is to see what is wrong, not to start repairs.
Looking from inside the loft
The loft shows what the outside cannot. With a torch, the roofer checks the underside of the roof: the underlay, a waterproof sheet beneath the covering, and the battens, the small timber laths that carry each tile. Daylight where none should be points to a gap. Dark stains, damp patches or timber that feels soft under a thumb point to a leak that has been running for some time.
The roofer also looks at the rafters and ceiling joists for movement, at insulation that has been compressed or soaked, and at the way air can move through the space. Poor ventilation lets condensation form, and the drips can look just like a leak from the roof. Telling the two apart is one of the main reasons a survey includes the loft.
If the loft is full of boxes, clearing a path to the hatch beforehand helps. Tell the roofer about any wiring, water tanks or old insulation you know about. Where the loft cannot be entered, say a very small hatch or a boarded floor with no access, the roofer should say so and explain what that leaves unchecked.
Chimney stacks that pass through the loft are looked at from this side as well.
Photos and what you are told
A proper survey leaves you holding pictures of your own roof. We take photos of the faults and of the sound areas for comparison, share them with you, and talk through each one in plain words: what it is, why it matters and if it wants attention now or can safely wait. A photo of a cracked tile beside one of a healthy tile tells you more than a paragraph of jargon.
You should hear about everything found, including the small items. A roofer who mentions only the large job is leaving you without the full picture. In turn, you can ask what happens if you do nothing, or if you only do part of the work.
Beware of any survey where you are kept off the roof and told to take the roofer's word that a problem exists. The photos are the answer to that. If you want a second view, you can show them to another roofer.
It also helps to ask whether the survey was done from a ladder, a tower or the ground, since that affects what could be seen. Our seasonal roof maintenance checklist shows what you can safely spot yourself from the garden.
From survey to written price
After the survey the roofer works out the job and sends one written total price. It should say what the work covers, what is left out, and whether VAT and scaffolding are included. The price depends on what the survey found: the covering, the area, the access and the condition of what lies beneath. That is why a firm figure cannot be given over the phone.
When a repair will do, you are quoted for the repair. If the survey shows the covering is finished, you should be told that plainly, with the photos to back it up. Neither answer should come with pressure to decide on the day.
Take your time with the written price. Ask when work could start, who will be working on the roof, and how tidy the site will be kept. Our answer on how many roofing quotes you should get helps with comparing, and the roofing terms glossary explains any word in the quote you do not know. The homepage lists the jobs we survey and price.
More on this in Roofers in Crawley: the full guide
Two more survey questions
Must someone be in during the survey?
It helps, mainly so the roofer can get into the loft and you can point out where a stain or drip appeared. If you cannot be there, arrange access to the hatch beforehand and ask for the photos to be sent afterwards. You should still get the explanation by phone or message before any price is agreed.
Will a survey damage my roof?
It should not. A survey is a look, not a repair, and a careful roofer walks only where it is safe and uses roof ladders to spread weight on tiles. Nothing should be lifted, cut or removed without your agreement. If a tile cracks underfoot by accident, that should be mentioned straight away.