Can you get a video of your roof inspection?

Video earns its place when something has to be understood in sequence. A pan along a ridge shows whether the line dips. A walk down a gutter run shows where the fall changes. Footage taken in rain can show water leaving a roof, or failing to leave it, which a photograph cannot capture. It also helps you see how one fault relates to another, such as a stained fascia directly below a slipped tile.

Stills win on detail. A sharp close-up of a cracked tile, a split in a lead flashing or a gap at a verge is easier to study, annotate and send to someone else than a few frames from a clip. The best record uses both: video for context, photographs for each fault. Either way, the evidence is only as good as the lighting, the angle and the labelling that goes with it.

A drone flies above the roof and records slopes, ridges and chimneys that cannot be reached from the ground. A pole camera extends a lens to the eaves, gutters and low roofs. A phone with a good zoom works from the garden or a neighbour's boundary. Each has limits: drones struggle in strong wind and shadow, poles reach only so far, and none of them shows the underside of the covering.

The method should suit the roof and the question. A drone is useful on a tall or steep house where a ladder would be unsafe, and our comparison of drone and ladder inspections sets out what each is good for. For a small flat roof, the right answer may be a close look and a handful of stills. The hub on roof inspections and surveys lists the methods we use and when each suits.

Whichever method is used, ask how the footage was captured and whether the weather and light were good enough to trust it. A grey, windy day flattens detail, and a low sun throws shadows that hide cracks. A good operator will tell you where the footage is weak and offer a second pass.

Be wary of clips that jump straight to a close-up of damage. A trustworthy recording shows the whole slope first, then moves in, so you can tell where on the roof the fault sits. Look for landmarks such as the chimney, a ridge end or a skylight that let you place each clip, and for continuous shots rather than a collage of cuts. If the same crack appears on three different roofs in a sales pitch, it is not evidence of yours.

Treat a verdict delivered from a distance with caution too. Nobody can tell from a thumbnail whether a roof needs replacing or a repair will hold. Pressure to decide on the doorstep after showing you a video is a warning sign. Ask for the footage to be sent to you, take time to read the report, and compare the verdict against the photographs yourself.

Every survey we carry out produces photographs of your own roof, sent with the written quote. Each problem is pictured and described in plain words, followed by a verdict: repair it, patch it for now, or replace it, with reasons. If a smaller job will hold, that is what we recommend, and the images show you why. Our page on the roof inspection report shows what such a document includes.

If you would like moving footage as well, raise it when you book so the wish is settled before the day and not afterwards. The photographs and the verdict are the core record either way. You should finish the visit knowing where to look, what each image shows, and what our written quote covers: a single total, produced after the survey and not before it. If an image is unclear, ask for it to be retaken or explained.

A dated recording becomes useful long after the visit. If you sell, a buyer's surveyor may ask what condition the roof was in, and a dated record answers that question before it becomes a price negotiation. If a storm damages the roof, IStructE advises photographs of the affected areas and any urgent temporary repairs, because photographs are vital evidence for an insurance claim.

Store copies in two places, name each file with the date and the part of the roof, and keep the written report beside them. Do not edit or compress the originals, since a trimmed clip is easier to question than a complete one. If a dispute arises over a repair, dated before-and-after material is the quickest way to show what changed, and it spares everyone from relying on memory. Our guide to inspections for insurance claims explains how to use it.