The short answer
A sensible rhythm is a quick look yourself once or twice a year, and a professional inspection every few years, more often as the roof ages. Add an extra check after a severe storm, before you buy or sell, and before you commission work such as solar panels or a loft conversion. Older roofs and exposed sites deserve more frequent attention than newer, sheltered ones.
Why no single figure fits every roof
Guides that give an exact interval sound confident, but a roof on an open hillside facing the prevailing wind lives a different life from one in a sheltered street. The covering matters too. A modern concrete tile roof with a sound underlay is a low-maintenance surface, while an old slate roof with hand-nailed fixings, lead details and a fragile ridge needs closer care.
Age is the clearest guide. A new roof is covered by its own workmanship guarantee, and in its first years it needs little more than a glance. A roof in middle age should be checked more often, because small faults, such as slipped tiles and cracked mortar, tend to multiply. An old roof deserves attention at least every year or two.
Local conditions around north Hampshire add to the picture. Roofs on exposed ridges, on the edges of estates and near open farmland take the full force of the wind, while those in sheltered cul-de-sacs fare better. Trees add another factor, with leaves, seeds and branches loading gutters and valleys in autumn.
A simple routine for the homeowner
Twice a year, in spring and in autumn, look at the roof from the ground. Use binoculars if you have them, and look at the ridge, the lines of the slopes, the area around the chimney and the gutters. Note any gaps, any tiles out of line and any growth. Take photos from the same position each time, so you can compare them.
Inside the house, look at the ceilings and the tops of walls, and have a look in the loft when you can. Stains, a musty smell or daylight are all worth a note. Our page on inspecting your loft explains what to check without needing to go up on the roof.
A professional inspection adds what you cannot do for yourself: close inspection of flashings, valleys and fixings, and an informed reading of what you saw. That is worth doing every few years even if nothing seems wrong.
Keep a short log. A line in a notebook or a note on your phone with the date, what you saw and a photo reference is enough. Over a few years it builds into a useful history, and it helps a roofer or a surveyor understand how fast the roof is changing.
Do not forget outbuildings. A garage, shed or conservatory roof tends to be forgotten, and these are often covered in thin felt, corrugated sheet or a translucent material that ages faster than the main house.
Events that call for an extra inspection
A severe storm is the obvious one. High winds lift tiles and ridge pieces, and hail and falling branches crack them. Our page on roof inspection after a storm explains what to look for and why a record helps with an insurance claim. A leak, even a brief one, should trigger a check at once.
Buying or selling a property is another. A buyer wants to know what state the roof is in, and a seller can head off problems with a report. Planned work on or near the roof, such as solar panels, a new extension or scaffolding, is a reason to check the roof first. On a rented property, a landlord might choose a regular schedule. For that, see roof inspections for landlords.
Insurance and mortgage work can call for a record too, so a dated report is worth keeping. If you are planning to sell in the next year, an inspection beforehand lets you fix small things first and share the report with buyers.
What a regular check saves
The aim is to find faults while they are small. A slipped tile is a small job. A slipped tile left through a winter becomes a leak, a stained ceiling, wet insulation and rotted timber. Repair is nearly always cheaper when it is done early.
We offer a free survey with photographs and a plain written finding, followed by a fixed written quote for any work. If the roof is in good order we say so, and we leave it alone until next time. The wider service is described on the page for roof inspections in Basingstoke.
Where a roof is old, exposed or showing repairs, we suggest a more frequent schedule, and we tell you plainly what that schedule would be. Nothing is gained from over-checking a sound roof.
If you rent the property out, or manage a block, a written schedule with dates is easier to defend than a vague intention. It also makes the budget for repairs predictable instead of a surprise.
Every roof is different. A free survey with photos settles it for yours.
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