Surveyors flag roofs as 'requires further investigation' constantly. What that actually means, what a proper roof check costs, and how it protects your offer.
If you're buying in Medway — and a lot of people are, between the estuary, the transport links and the period housing in Rochester and Chatham — the roof is the single most expensive thing your survey will mention, and the one it can't really see.
What The Survey Actually Says
Homebuyer surveys routinely report the roof as "not inspected due to height" or "requires further investigation by a specialist". That's not the surveyor being lazy — most won't climb onto a tiled roof. It means nobody has actually looked at the thing.
What A Roof Check Covers
- Tiles and slate — slipped, cracked or coming to the end of their life
- Ridges, hips and verges — mortar condition, the most common defect
- Flashing and leadwork — around chimneys and where roofs meet walls
- Gutters, fascias and soffits — often the real cause of reported damp
- The loft — daylight, damp staining, and the state of battens and felt
Why It's Worth Doing Before You Exchange
Tiles and mortar look fine from thirty feet away, and a tired roof can look perfectly acceptable to a surveyor's binoculars. A full re-roof is one of the biggest single costs in a property, and discovering it needs one after completion — rather than before — is the difference between negotiating and swallowing it.
How It Helps Your Offer
With photographs and a written assessment of what needs doing and what can wait, you can ask for a reduction or a contribution with evidence rather than suspicion. It also tells you the things that are genuinely fine, so you're not spooked by cosmetic moss.
We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys across Medway and Kent, with a written report and photographs you can take to your solicitor. Free and no obligation.
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Free survey, photographs, and a fixed written price. No obligation and no sales pressure.
Costs and timings in this article are guides for Medway and Kent properties. Every roof is different — a survey is the only way to get an accurate figure.