A roof survey report is very useful for assessing the condition of a property and what maintenance may be required. If you’re buying a property with a mortgage or loan, the lender may insist that you provide a roof survey report as part of the approval process.

Even if they don’t, it can be very worthwhile having some kind of roof inspection carried out. If repairs are required, a roof is one of the most expensive parts of a property to work on.

A mortgage valuation survey will not include a roof inspection, and is purely to advise the lender of significant defects which might affect the value of a property. They can take as little as half an hour to complete and are usually only a couple of pages in length. Paying additional fees for a full property survey and roof survey report can be a very good investment, particularly if you are buying an older property.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) provides different levels of surveys. They range from a RICS Condition Report to a full RICS Building Survey. These can be expensive, but the costs can be justified in most cases. If you are buying a property and surveyor picks up signs of problems, such as damage to the roof, you can use this knowledge to negotiate a fairer price. You could even make your purchase subject to repairs being carried out. If you already own the property a comprehensive survey can help you plan and budget for repairs.

A drone roof survey report is now an alternative to a traditional survey. You may still need a surveyor or person with expertise in the building industry to review the output, but drones are the ideal tools for carrying out roof inspections.

A drone pilot with the necessary equipment can produce very detailed images of features such as the tiles, lead flashing and guttering on a roof. A drone can be launched from your garden or drive, hover at a safe distance and record high resolution photographs and video footage for assessment.