Roof inspection

When an inspection is worth booking

• The roof is in the back half of its expected service life and you have no recent assessment.
• You have seen granules collecting in gutters or at downspouts.
• There is staining on a ceiling or in the attic after rain.
• A storm has passed through and neighbours are having work done.
• You are buying, selling or renewing insurance on the property.
• Work has been done on the roof recently for solar, satellite or gutters.
• You are about to take quotes and want an opinion from someone not bidding on the job.

What should actually be looked at

If a report covers only the first group, it is a roof survey, not an inspection.

• The covering: granule loss, curling, cracking, blistering, missing or lifted units, and how consistent the wear is across slopes.
• Flashing at every transition: chimney, skylight, sidewall, valley, and the kick-out at wall terminations.
• Penetrations: pipe boots, vents and anything else through the plane. Split rubber collars are a common single point of failure.
• Edge detail: drip edge, starter course, and the condition of the fascia behind the gutter.
• The deck, from the attic: staining, softness, daylight, and whether previous repairs are visible from below.
• Ventilation: whether intake at the soffit and exhaust at the ridge are balanced, and whether insulation is blocking the intake.
• Moisture in the attic: condensation, mould growth and damp insulation, which mimic a leak and are not fixed by roofing.
• Soft metals, where hail is claimed: dents in gutters, downspouts and vents are the same impacts that hit the covering.

What the visit looks like

1. 01

   Exterior walk

   Ground-level assessment of each elevation, gutters, downspouts and anything visible from below.

2. 02

   On the roof

   Slope by slope, with attention to valleys, penetrations and every flashing detail rather than the open field.

3. 03

   In the attic

   The part most often skipped and the part most likely to change the conclusion. Deck condition, staining, daylight, ventilation and insulation.

4. 04

   Documentation

   Dated photographs of each slope and each finding. Where hail is claimed, a count of hits per test square.

5. 05

   The report

   Written, with the findings separated from the recommendations, so you can tell what was observed from what is being proposed.

Free storm inspection or paid inspection?

Both are legitimate. They answer to different incentives, and it is worth knowing which you have booked.

What moves the price

Inspections are priced per visit rather than by the square, and the range is narrower than for any other roofing work.

We do not publish a price range for inspections. It varies too widely by market, by whether the visit is tied to a bid, and by the depth of the report produced.

What to ask before you sign

• Will you go on the roof, and will you go into the attic?
• What will I receive afterwards, and is the report written?
• Will the photographs be dated, and will they cover every slope?
• Are findings separated from recommendations in the report?
• If hail is involved, will you count hits per test square and check the soft metals?
• Are you quoting on any work arising from this inspection?
• What is your assessment of the deck, and how did you form it?
• What is your estimate of remaining service life, and what is that based on?

The full ten-point checklist is on choosing a roofer.

What to have ready

• Clear access to the attic hatch, and move anything stored directly beneath it.
• The approximate age of the roof and any paperwork from the last replacement.
• Dates of any storms you remember, and photographs if you took them.
• A list of where you have seen staining, and when it appears.

Where this goes wrong

Common questions

How often should a roof be inspected?

There is no universal interval. In practice: after any significant storm, when the covering enters the back half of its expected life, before buying or selling, and when an insurer asks. Annual inspection is a reasonable habit on an older roof and unnecessary on a new one.

How much does a roof inspection cost?

It depends on whether it is tied to a bid and how deep the report goes. A roofing company quoting on the work often provides it at no charge. An independent written assessment is a paid engagement and is priced per visit. We do not publish a range, because it varies too much by market and by what is actually produced.

Do I need an inspection before getting quotes?

Not always, but it helps. An assessment from someone not bidding gives you a baseline to compare bids against, and makes it obvious when a quote is scoping work the roof does not need.

Will an inspection tell me exactly how long my roof will last?

No, and be wary of a single number. A remaining-life estimate is a range, informed by the covering type, the installation, the ventilation and the visible condition. Anyone offering a precise year is guessing with more confidence than the evidence supports.

Can I inspect my own roof?

You can do the parts that do not involve climbing. Look at each elevation from the ground, check gutters and downspouts for granules and dents, and look in the attic with a torch after rain. Do not get on the roof: falls from height are the leading cause of death in roofing, and pitch is what makes a roof dangerous.

Does an inspection help with an insurance claim?

Documentation helps. Dated photographs of each slope, a count of hits per test square where hail is claimed, notes on the soft metals and an attic check all give an adjuster something specific to assess. It does not determine the outcome, which depends on your policy, the cause of damage and the adjuster’s own assessment.

Sources

• Roof assemblies and rooftop structures (IRC Chapter 9), International Code Council. Checked September 18, 2026.
• Fall protection in construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart M), U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Checked September 18, 2026.