Independent roof inspections across Portsmouth — visual surveys, drone inspections and pre-purchase reports. Our inspection fee is credited against any repair work you book with us, so an honest survey costs you nothing if we do the work.
Roof inspections in Portsmouth cost £120 to £600 in 2026 — visual survey with written report from £120, drone inspection £150 to £350, and pre-purchase reports £200 to £450. Our fee is credited against any repair work you book, so the survey is effectively free if we carry out the work. Book a survey — call 0239 307 1334.
A roof inspection is a systematic assessment of your roof's condition, resulting in a written report you can act on — whether you are a homeowner planning ahead, a buyer checking a property before exchange, or a landlord meeting your maintenance obligations. A proper Portsmouth inspection is not a glance from the ground; it examines the covering, fixings, flashings, ridge, valleys, chimney, guttering and, where accessible, the roof void, and it is informed by what actually fails on this city's specific housing stock. Our inspection fee is credited in full against any repair work you subsequently book with us.
We offer three levels. A visual survey with written report suits homeowners wanting a condition check or a second opinion on another firm's quote. A drone inspection reaches steep, high or access-restricted roofs safely — invaluable on Portsmouth's dense terraces and taller Victorian properties where scaffold would be disproportionate for an inspection. A pre-purchase survey is a detailed condition assessment for buyers, timed before exchange, that can save thousands by identifying a roof at end of life before you commit. For large or listed properties a full condition survey provides the depth those buildings need.
A survey is only as good as the surveyor's knowledge of local failure patterns, and Portsmouth's housing eras each hide different problems. On the post-war concrete-tile estates — Paulsgrove, Leigh Park, Bridgemary, Rowner — the priority check is nail sickness: are the galvanised fixings corroding, and how many slopes are affected? This single finding can be the difference between a £600 repair and a £9,000 re-roof, and it is invisible from the ground. On Victorian slate terraces in Southsea and Old Portsmouth, we check for slate delamination and nail fatigue in the original fixings, plus the condition of lead valleys and party-wall chimney flashings. On the 1930s semis of Cosham and Drayton, we assess concrete plain tile surface erosion and 1930s felt underlay failure. A surveyor who does not know these patterns will miss what matters.
Buying a Portsmouth property is where a roof inspection pays for itself most clearly. A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey, and a standard homebuyer report rarely examines the roof in the detail its coastal condition warrants. A property on a post-war estate may have a roof-wide nail sickness problem that will need a full re-fix within a year — a £9,000 cost the seller has no obligation to disclose. Our pre-purchase survey, timed before exchange, gives you that information while you can still negotiate on price or walk away. For £200 to £450 it is among the cheapest insurance a Portsmouth buyer can arrange.
The concern with any roofer offering an inspection is the incentive to invent problems that justify work. We remove that incentive two ways. First, the report is written and itemised, so any recommendation can be checked by another firm. Second, our inspection fee is credited in full against any repair or replacement you book with us — so we have no reason to inflate findings, and an honest survey costs you nothing if we go on to do the work. If the roof is sound, we tell you it is sound, and you have a written record to prove it.
| Inspection Type | Cost Guide | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visual survey + written report | £120–£250 | Fee credited against repairs |
| Drone inspection | £150–£350 | Access-restricted / steep roofs |
| Pre-purchase survey | £200–£450 | Timed before exchange |
| Full condition survey (large/listed) | £300–£600 | Detailed report for complex roofs |
| Landlord periodic inspection | £120–£250 | Documented for compliance |
RICS guidance recommends that roof condition be assessed by a competent surveyor as part of any pre-purchase building survey.
Source: RICS survey standards
Visual, drone or pre-purchase survey with a written report. Fee credited in full against any repair work you book with us. Call 0239 307 1334.
Call 0239 307 1334"Pre-purchase survey on a Leigh Park property we were buying — found roof-wide nail sickness the estate agent never mentioned. Renegotiated £8,000 off. Best £300 we ever spent."
"Drone inspection on our tall Southsea terrace — no scaffold needed, detailed photos of every slope. Told us the roof was sound and gave us a written report. Honest."
"Second opinion after another firm quoted us for a full re-roof. Their survey showed we needed one slope re-fixed, not the lot. Saved us thousands. Fee came off the repair."
A visual survey with written report costs £120 to £250, a drone inspection £150 to £350, and a pre-purchase survey £200 to £450. Our fee is credited against any repair work you book with us.
Yes — if you book repair or replacement work with us after the survey, the inspection fee is deducted in full from the cost. This removes any incentive for us to inflate the findings.
Strongly recommended. A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey, and Portsmouth's coastal stock can hide roof-wide nail sickness worth thousands. A pre-purchase survey before exchange lets you renegotiate or walk away.
A drone captures detailed images of every slope, ridge, valley and chimney without scaffold — ideal for Portsmouth's dense terraces and tall Victorian properties where scaffold would be disproportionate for an inspection.
Covering condition, fixings (nail sickness on estate stock), flashings, ridge, valleys, chimney, guttering and roof void. We assess against the known failure patterns of your property's construction era.
Yes — we provide documented periodic inspections that support your maintenance obligations under the Landlord and Tenant Act and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act. Written reports provided.
A standard visual or drone survey takes one to two hours on site, with the written report provided shortly after. Pre-purchase and full condition surveys take longer. Call 0239 307 1334 to book.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Local Portsmouth roofers.
0239 307 1334