This is a checklist of questions to ask before commissioning a commercial roof inspection. It is written for a building owner or facilities manager choosing between quotes.
Ask them all of the same questions and write the answers down. The differences between inspectors show up in the answers far more clearly than in the fees.
About them
| Ask | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| How many roofs of this system do you inspect a year? | A number, not a reassurance |
| Can you show work on a similar building type? | Named examples, ideally nearby |
| What training do you hold on this system? | Manufacturer training, named |
| Do you carry professional indemnity insurance? | Yes, with a figure |
| Who will actually attend? | A named person, not the company |
| What would you do outside your experience? | Say so, and recommend a specialist |
About the scope
| Ask | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| How long will you spend on the roof? | A figure proportionate to the roof area |
| Do you go inside the building? | Yes, including plant rooms, or a clear no |
| Will you speak to the occupants? | Yes, and ask what they have seen |
| Are low level and adjoining roofs included? | Named, rather than assumed |
| What would trigger a moisture survey recommendation? | Specific conditions, not a general answer |
| What is specifically excluded? | A list, given without hesitation |
| What happens if an area cannot be accessed? | Recorded as a limitation, with a return visit offered |
About the deliverable
| Ask | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| Can I see a sample report? | Yes, anonymized if necessary |
| Are findings located on a numbered plan? | Yes, with the numbering explained |
| How many photographs per finding? | At least two, wide and close |
| Is there a rating scale, and is it defined? | Yes, defined in the document |
| Will recommendations carry timescales? | Yes, against each finding |
| Are indicative costs included? | Yes or no, with the basis stated |
| How long until I receive it? | A date, not a period |
About independence
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Will you also quote for the remedial work? | The two roles pull in different directions |
| Is this inspection free? | Free usually means it is a sales activity |
| Who else sees the report? | Relevant if it may be used in a transaction |
| Would you inspect work done by another contractor? | Tests whether they are willing to be independent |
About the price
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What is included in the fee? | Roof, interior, report, and any return visit |
| What costs extra? | Moisture survey, drone, core sampling, second visit |
| Is the fee by area or by day? | Changes the incentive on time spent |
| What does a follow up visit cost? | Useful to know before you need one |
What to do with it
- Ask everybody the same questions. And write the answers next to the fees.
- Ask for a sample report. Five minutes beats any description.
- Ask how long they will spend on the roof. The most revealing question on this page.
- Decide whether you want independence. It matters most before a large spend.
- Agree the deliverable before the visit. It cannot be added afterwards.
Want the reasoning behind this? Read what inspections cost and why and what the service includes.
Walked by Date Roof
Common questions
Does the inspector need a formal qualification?
There is no single credential that settles it, which is why the useful questions are about experience with this system type and this building type rather than about certificates. A long record on roofs like yours is worth more than a certificate earned on a different kind of roof.
- Ask how many roofs of this system they inspect a year
- Ask for examples on similar building types
- Manufacturer training on the relevant system is genuinely useful
- Professional indemnity insurance matters more than a certificate
- Membership of a trade body is a signal, not a guarantee
Ask directly what they would do if they found something outside their experience. An inspector who says they would say so in the report and recommend a specialist is giving you the answer you want. The ones to avoid are the ones for whom nothing is ever outside their experience, because that is not a claim anybody can support.
What is the most important question about scope?
Whether they will go inside the building. An inspection that never leaves the roof has looked at half the available evidence, because interior staining, deck condition and what the occupants have seen frequently explain findings that make no sense from above.
- Whether the interior is included in the scope and the fee
- Whether plant rooms and service voids are walked
- Whether occupants will be asked what they have seen
- Whether the deck will be viewed where it is visible
- Whether low level and adjoining roofs are included
Ask it as a scope question rather than as a challenge, because some inspectors exclude the interior for sound reasons to do with access and tenancy. What matters is knowing which inspection you are buying. An exterior only inspection is a legitimate and cheaper product, and it should be labeled as one in the report. Put the answer in writing in the instruction, so the report that arrives can be measured against what was agreed rather than against what you assumed.
What should be agreed about the deliverable?
The format, the timescale, whether findings will be located on a plan, how many photographs there will be, whether a rating scale is used, and whether indicative costs are included. All of it before the visit, because it is difficult to add afterwards.
- Findings located on a numbered plan, not described in prose
- Two photographs per finding, wide and close
- A rating scale defined inside the report
- Recommended actions with timescales
- Whether indicative costs are included, and at what level
- Whether the report will be issued in a format a contractor can price from
Ask to see a sample report from another building, anonymized if necessary. Five minutes with a real example tells you more than any amount of description, and an inspector who produces good reports will be pleased to show you one. Reluctance at this question is informative in itself. Agree who the report may be shared with as well, which matters if it will later go to a buyer, a lender or an insurer.
Should the inspector also quote for the repairs?
It is cleaner if they do not, though it is not always practical. The two roles pull in different directions, and separating them removes a question that would otherwise sit quietly over every recommendation in the report. Many perfectly good inspections are carried out by contractors who will also quote, and knowing that is what matters.
- An independent inspector has no interest in the scope of the work
- A contractor inspection is often free, which is a real consideration
- Free inspections are a sales activity, which is not dishonest
- Independence matters most where a large spend is in prospect
- The inspector should carry their own professional indemnity
A workable middle course on a smaller building is a contractor inspection most years and an independent one before any major decision, such as a replacement, a purchase or a claim. That gets the frequency cheaply and brings independence to the moments when the amount of money at stake justifies the fee. Where the same firm does both, ask for the inspection findings and the quotation as two separate documents, so the report can be read on its own.
What questions reveal the most about an inspector?
How long they expect to spend on the roof, what would make them recommend a moisture survey, and what they would do if access to an area were blocked on the day. All three answers are specific and all three distinguish a thorough inspector from a quick one.
- How long on the roof, for a roof of this size
- What would trigger a recommendation for a moisture survey
- What happens if an area cannot be accessed on the day
- How findings are rated, and against what definitions
- What is specifically excluded from the inspection
The time question is the most revealing of the four. An inspector who gives a figure proportionate to the roof has thought about the job; one who says it depends without being willing to estimate has usually not. The answer also tells you immediately whether the fee you are being quoted is for a survey or for a look.