Surveys
Flat Roof Surveys & Condition Reports
A flat roof condition survey is a documented inspection of a roof's waterproofing, details and drainage, with a written, photographed report of what was found. It tells you where the roof is in its life, what needs attention now and what can wait, so decisions are made on evidence rather than guesswork.
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What we inspect
Water rarely enters a flat roof through the middle of the membrane. It enters at the edges of things: laps, upstands, flashings, kerbs, penetrations and outlets. So that is where a survey earns its fee:
- Membrane surface: splits, blisters, crazing, mechanical damage
- Laps and joints: adhesion, fishmouths, open edges
- Upstands and flashings: height, condition, cracked or debonded details
- Rooflight kerbs, vents and pipe penetrations
- Outlets, gutters and drainage falls, including ponding
- Internal evidence: staining, damp readings where useful
What the report gives you
Every survey ends in a written report you can act on: photographs of each defect, what it means in plain English, how urgent it is, and priorities ordered for budgeting. Commissioned before refurbishment, it is the evidence that decides between repair, overlay or renewal. Commissioned for a maintenance programme, it records the starting condition every later visit is measured against.
Drone imaging where it genuinely helps
We can bring aerial imaging into a survey, and there are roofs where it changes what the report can show: large industrial and warehouse fields that would take a long time to walk methodically, fragile coverings and rooflights that should not be trodden near, parapet tops, high-level abutments and edges no ladder reaches safely. Flown as part of the inspection, it gives an overhead record of falls, ponding patterns and debris that photographs from roof level simply cannot frame.
What it never does is stand in for the inspection itself. A camera cannot lift a lap to test adhesion, press a soft area to feel what is under it, or take a moisture reading through a build-up, and those are the findings a refurbishment decision turns on. Aerial images sit alongside the hands-and-instruments survey in the same report, never instead of it.
When to commission one
- Before purchasing a building with a flat roof
- When a manufacturer guarantee requires documented inspections
- Before planning refurbishment, so the right option is chosen
- After storms, when hidden damage is most likely
Frequently asked questions
What does a flat roof condition survey cover?
The whole waterproofing system: the membrane surface, laps and joints, upstands, flashings and edge details, rooflight kerbs and penetrations, outlets and drainage paths, plus any internal evidence of water getting in. The aim is a complete picture, not a glance from the hatch.
What is in the written report?
Photographs of every defect, a plain-English explanation of what each one means and how urgent it is, priorities ordered so you know what needs doing now versus watching, and guidance you can budget against. It is written to be handed on: to a director, a board, an insurer or a freeholder.
When should I commission a roof survey?
Four moments repay it most: before buying a building, when a guarantee requires documented inspections, before planning refurbishment so the right option is chosen, and after storms when hidden damage is most likely. If a roof has simply never been looked at, that is reason enough.
How long does a survey take?
It depends on the size of the roof and how it is accessed, from under an hour for a small extension to considerably longer for a large or complex commercial roof. We confirm timing and access arrangements when the survey is booked.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where a roof calls for it: large fields, fragile coverings that should not be walked, and high edges or parapets that are hard to reach safely. Aerial imaging is always paired with the physical inspection, because a camera cannot test adhesion, probe a soft area or take moisture readings.
Do you survey roofs installed by other contractors?
Yes, routinely. A survey records the roof as it is, regardless of who built it. If work is needed we will price it, but the report stands on its own and you are free to take it to any contractor.
Get the roof looked at properly
Tell us about the building and the roof, and we will arrange a survey at a time that works for the people underneath it.
Book a survey