Should I have the roof inspected before buying a property?

That the covering appeared satisfactory from ground level, that a close inspection was not possible, and that further investigation is recommended. That is a reasonable limitation of scope, not a criticism — but it is not an assessment of the roof.

Where a survey flags the roof, it is worth taking that recommendation seriously before exchange rather than after.

Close imagery of every elevation, condition of coverings, bedding, flashings, valleys and drainage, the roof space where accessible, and an indication of remaining service life with priorities. That is what allows you to budget, or to raise it in negotiation.

On tall, steep or awkward properties a drone survey gets this done without scaffold, which is what makes it practical during a purchase timetable.

The condition of battens, underlay or timber that are concealed, or moisture within a flat roof build-up without testing. Anyone who claims to know these from imagery alone is overstating what they can see.

A good report separates what was observed from what is inferred, and says plainly what would need opening up to confirm.

If work is needed, get it priced properly rather than relying on an estimate in a survey, and treat that figure as information for your decision or negotiation. Where the roof is sound, you have a dated baseline for the years ahead.

Either way it is a small cost against the size of the commitment.

A roof survey fits most easily alongside other pre-exchange checks, once the general survey has flagged the roof or once you simply want the largest cost on the building quantified. Booking it as soon as the recommendation appears keeps it inside your timetable rather than becoming a rush before completion.

On a chain purchase this can feel like one more thing to arrange, but the alternative — discovering the roof's true condition after you own it — removes any ability to negotiate or to walk away.