What a proper inspection covers - outside, inside the attic, and the structure - plus the honest problem with the free ones.
Reviewed by Michael ThompsonA roof inspection is a documented assessment of the roof covering, its flashings and penetrations, the attic below it and the structure carrying it - producing a written report with photographs and an estimate of remaining service life. It takes roughly 45 minutes to a couple of hours on a typical house. The report is only as useful as the inspector's independence from whoever gets the resulting job.
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Exterior - the covering and everything that penetrates it
The inspector walks the roof where it is safe to, or uses a drone where it is not, and records the condition of the field, ridges, hips and valleys, granule loss, fastener condition, and every penetration - chimney, vents, skylights, satellite mounts.
Watch forA ground-level look with binoculars written up as an inspection. There is a legitimate place for a ground assessment, but it is a triage, not a report, and it should be priced and described as one.
Attic interior - where the evidence actually lives
From below, the inspector looks for daylight, staining on the sheathing and rafters, damp insulation, mould, rust on fasteners and inadequate ventilation. Interior evidence often predates anything visible from above.
Watch forNobody asks to get into your attic. An exterior-only inspection cannot tell you whether water has been getting in, and this is the single most common thing left out of a "free" inspection.
Structure and drainage
Sagging between rafters, deflection along the ridge, spongy decking underfoot, and whether gutters and downspouts are actually taking water away from the building rather than into the fascia or the foundation.
Watch forStructural notes with no photographs. A sagging ridge is a serious finding and a serious expense - it should be documented well enough that a second professional can evaluate it without climbing anything.
A written report you can act on
A useful report separates what needs doing now, what to budget for, and what to monitor; states an estimated remaining service life; and includes dated photographs of each finding. It should be readable by somebody who is not a roofer.
Watch forA report that is really a quote. If the deliverable is a price with photographs attached rather than findings with severity levels, you did not buy an inspection.
The walkthrough
The inspector should talk you through what they found, what it means, and what happens if you do nothing for another year. That conversation is most of the value, and it is where you find out whether they actually went into the attic.
Watch forUrgency introduced during the walkthrough that was not in the report. A finding that needs a decision today has never been a good sign, and it is the standard shape of a storm-chasing pitch.
Certification, where you need one
A roof certification is a separate product: an inspector states a roof is sound and estimates a number of years it should remain so. Lenders and insurers ask for these, and buyers occasionally do.
Watch forTreating a certification as a warranty. It is a professional opinion at a point in time, and it does not obligate anybody to pay for a failure afterwards.
A paid independent roof inspection typically runs from the low to mid hundreds, more for drone or infrared work and for large or steep roofs. Contractor inspections are usually free because they are a bid visit. Our cost guide breaks down what each one includes.
See the full roof inspection cost guide - by material, size and region →
Estimate your roof's remaining life → A rough planning figure by material and age - not a substitute for a report.
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Twenty years on and around home improvement work. Reads our guides for the things that are technically true and practically wrong.
Every guide on this site is written by a member of our team and checked by someone else before it publishes, and every figure carries the source and the date we pulled it. Found a number that looks off? Tell us - corrections are the cheapest quality control we have.