Nail sicknessRoof Inspection and Survey in Manchester
A written, photographed roof survey for homebuyers, landlords and owners who want to know what is up there before it becomes an emergency.
- Report within two working days
- Fee deducted from repairs
- No obligation either way
Know what is over your head
Most people find out about their roof when it leaks. A survey is the alternative: a roofer who goes up, goes into the loft, photographs everything and writes down what the roof needs now, what it will need in five years, and what it does not need at all. It is the best few hundred pounds a homebuyer in Chorlton or Prestwich can spend, and it is how landlords in Fallowfield and Withington avoid the phone call about the bedroom ceiling.
This page covers planned surveys at daytime rates. If water is coming through now, our emergency roof leak team is available around the clock and will inspect as part of the visit.
Who books a survey
Homebuyers, most of all. A mortgage valuation does not look at the roof, and a homebuyer report looks at it from the ground. On a Victorian terrace with original slate, a 1930s semi with its first ridges and flashings, or an Edwardian house in Hale or Bowdon that has been extended twice, that gap can hide the most expensive item in the house. A survey before exchange tells you what you are buying and gives you the evidence to renegotiate.
Landlords and agents book surveys on a cycle, so that a slipped slate is found on a routine visit rather than by a tenant. Owners book them when a neighbour's roof has just been done, when a flat roof reaches ten years old, or when they want a second opinion on a quote from a roofer who knocked on the door. Insurers occasionally ask for one after a claim.
What the survey covers
The roofer inspects the covering from a ladder or roof access, or by drone where a slope cannot be reached safely, and photographs the slates or tiles, ridges, hips, verges, valleys, flashings, chimney stacks, flat roof areas, gutters and fascias. Inside, the loft is inspected for daylight, staining, damp timbers, the condition of the felt and battens, and ventilation. The report separates faults that need roof repairs now from items to plan for, prices each, and says plainly when a flat roof or a run of guttering is nearing the end of its life.
Our guide on a roof leak in heavy rain explains the kinds of fault a survey is looking for, and if a survey follows a leak that reached the lights, why your electrics keep tripping explains why we bring an electrician to test that circuit rather than assuming it has dried out. The main Manchester roofers page lists the rest of what we do, or call 07343 065023 to book.
What a roof survey inspects
Outside and inside, photographed throughout.
- 01Slates or tiles: slipped, cracked, delaminated or missing
- 02Ridges, hips and verges and the condition of their mortar or dry-fix
- 03Lead flashings, soakers and back gutters at chimneys and walls
- 04Chimney stacks: pointing, pots, flaunching and lean
- 05Valleys and their linings
- 06Flat roof areas: covering, fall, ponding and upstands
- 07Gutters, downpipes, fascias and soffits
- 08Loft: daylight, staining, damp timbers, felt, battens and ventilation
- 09Signs of previous repairs and their quality
- 10Access and safety considerations for any future work
Tell me why, and when you need it by.
Ladder, loft, drone if the slope is unfriendly. Photographs of everything.
What it needs now, what can wait, what it does not need.
Repair with us, or take the report elsewhere. Both fine.
How a roof survey runs
From booking to report.
Roof survey prices
Fixed prices, deducted from any repair we go on to do.
- 01Drone onlyDrone inspection with photographs, no written reportFrom£120A quick first look at an inaccessible roof
- 02Terrace or semiFull roof survey with written report, terrace or semiFrom£150Report within two working days
- 03Larger houseFull roof survey, larger detached or extended houseFrom£220Includes flat roof areas and outbuildings
- 04PortfolioLandlord portfolio, five or more propertiesFrom£130Per property, booked together
Indicative placeholder — confirm against /pricing before publishing.
Full pricing and what is includedBefore you exchange on a period house
The Victorian and Edwardian houses of Chorlton, Didsbury, Prestwich and Hale are worth buying, and their roofs are usually the largest unknown in the purchase. Original slate can be sound after a century or held on by habit. Chimney stacks can be fine or leaning. Valleys can have been relined or patched with mastic.
A survey with photographs turns that unknown into a number, and a number can be negotiated. It can also tell you that the roof is fine, which is worth knowing too.
Related roofing services
Where a survey usually leads.
- Emergency Roof Leak24-hour emergency roof leak repair across Manchester and Greater Manchester. Water through the ceiling, storm damage and lost slates. A roofer on the way within 90 minutes to stop the ingress.within 90 minutes
- 02Roof RepairsRoof repairs across Manchester. Slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed lead flashing, ridge and verge repointing and chimney work on pitched roofs, photographed and priced before work starts.
- 03Flat RoofsFlat roof repair and replacement across Manchester. Felt, EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass on extensions, garages, dormers and bay windows, with manufacturer-backed guarantees.
- 04Guttering and FasciasGuttering, fascias and soffits across Manchester. Leaking, overflowing and sagging gutters repaired or replaced, and rotten timber fascias and soffits replaced in uPVC.
Ask me anythingQuestion 01 of 05Question 02 of 05Question 03 of 05Question 04 of 05Question 05 of 0501Does a homebuyer survey not cover the roof?
A mortgage valuation barely looks at it. A standard homebuyer report looks from the ground and from any window with a view, and says so in the caveats. Neither goes up a ladder or into every corner of the loft. On a Victorian terrace with a hundred-year-old slate roof, or a 1930s semi with original ridges and flashings, that gap can hide a five-figure bill. A roof survey before exchange closes it.
02What do I get at the end of a roof survey?
A written report by email within two working days, with photographs of every part of the roof inspected, a plain description of its condition, any faults found and their likely cause, and a priced recommendation for each item ranked by urgency. Where a roof is sound we say so. Where it needs work we separate what should be done now from what can wait, so you can plan or negotiate.
03Do you use drones?
Yes, where they add something. A drone gives a clear view of chimneys, valleys and the far slope of a roof that cannot be seen from a ladder, and it is the safest way to look at a steep or fragile roof. It does not replace hands-on inspection of flashings, ridges and the loft, so a full survey combines both. A drone-only inspection is a quicker, cheaper option for a first look.
04Is the survey fee deducted if you do the work?
Yes. If you go ahead with repairs we recommend, the survey fee is deducted from the invoice. The report is yours regardless, and you are free to give it to another roofer for a comparative quote. We would rather you had the information and made a good decision than felt obliged to us.
05Should landlords have roofs inspected regularly?
Every two to three years is sensible, and after any severe storm. A slipped slate found in a routine inspection costs a fraction of the same slate found by a tenant with water coming through the bedroom ceiling, and the damp that follows an unnoticed leak becomes a repair claim, a rent dispute, or both. We can put a portfolio on a schedule through our landlords service and report on each property in the same format.
Book a roof survey
- Two working days
- Fee deducted from repairs
- No obligation
Buying a house with a Victorian roof? Have someone who climbs them look first.
