Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the roof's age, how widespread the damage is, and whether the same area keeps needing repairs. A roof with one isolated fault is usually a repair; a roof with nail sickness spreading across large areas, several unrelated leak points, or timbers a survey has flagged as compromised usually points toward replacement. Try our free Repair or Replace guide for a steer, then book a free roof survey — only an on-roof inspection can give you a definite answer.

A thorough survey looks at the roof covering itself, the flashing and leadwork at every junction (chimneys, valleys, abutments), the guttering's ability to drain the roof properly, ventilation at the eaves and ridge, and any visible sign of a current or historic leak from inside the loft. It's designed to give you an honest, evidence-based picture, not to manufacture a reason to sell you work you don't need.

Watch for the classic warning signs: someone who knocked unannounced claiming to have "noticed a few tiles loose from the road", pressure to decide or pay today, cash-only requests, no fixed business address, and no written, itemised quote. Our free Spot a Rogue Roofer checklist covers exactly what to look for and the questions to ask before you agree to anything — including which accreditations to ask them to show proof of.

The usual culprits are slipped or cracked tiles/slates, perished felt or underlay beneath the covering, failed flashing around chimneys and valleys, cracked mortar on ridge or hip tiles, and blocked or damaged guttering backing water up under the roof edge. Because water can travel along a rafter before it shows up inside, the visible damp patch isn't always directly above the actual fault.

It's more than cosmetic. Moss holds moisture against the roof covering for far longer than a clean, exposed tile would experience, and as it thickens it can physically lift tiles at their edges and work into the gaps between them. Left unaddressed for long enough, it becomes a genuine leak risk, not just an appearance issue — see our full guide on our Roof Cleaning & Moss Removal service page.

Shaded or north-facing roof slopes, and roofs under or near overhanging trees, stay damp for longer and collect more organic debris in gutters and valleys — both of which give moss and algae the conditions they need to establish and spread.

It varies significantly by covering (EPDM, GRP, felt or single-ply), how well the falls were built in to prevent standing water, and how the upstands and outlets were originally detailed. Rather than quote a generic figure, a survey can tell you the real condition of your specific roof and what, if anything, needs doing.

It depends on the height, pitch and location of the work — some ground-floor or single-storey jobs can be reached safely without it, while chimney work and full re-roofs generally need it for safe access. Scaffolding is a genuine cost driver worth understanding upfront; see our free What Drives Your Roof Cost tool for how it fits into the overall picture.

Safety comes first — never go onto the roof yourself in poor weather, in the dark, or without the right access equipment. Our free Emergency Roof Triage guide walks through exactly what to do in the first hour, including what's safe to do yourself and what to leave until it can be inspected properly.

Every roof, every fault and every property is different, so we don't publish a generic price list — it would be misleading either way. Our free What Drives Your Roof Cost tool explains the real factors that push cost up or down (size, material, access, scaffold, condition), and a free, no-obligation roof survey will give you an accurate figure for your actual roof.

Yes — book a free, no-obligation roof survey and we'll give you an honest assessment and a clear quote for any work that's actually needed, with no pressure to commit to anything.