Access for repairs
Can roofers repair a roof without scaffolding?
The short answer
Sometimes. A small repair low on a single-storey roof, or a fault within reach of a good ladder or tower, can be done without a scaffold. Higher roofs, long runs, chimneys and steep slopes usually need one, since a scaffold gives a working platform and edge protection. The survey decides, and any scaffold that stands on or overhangs a public road or pavement needs a licence.
When a ladder or tower is enough, when scaffolding is the safe way up, and how the licence and price of a scaffold come into it.
When a ladder or a tower is enough
Plenty of repairs are small and local: replacing a tile near the eaves, refixing a length of ridge at one end, clearing a gutter joint. If the fault sits within reach of a secured ladder, or can be tackled from a mobile access tower on firm ground, a full scaffold would add cost and time without making the work any safer.
Single-storey roofs, porches and lean-tos are often reachable this way, provided the ladder can stand on level, solid ground and be tied or footed securely, and so is a garage with a low flat roof. The deciding factors are height, slope, the surface at the foot of the ladder and how much of the roof needs work. A roofer should be able to tell you at the survey which method applies and give the reasoning behind it. If the answer is a ladder, you should not be paying for scaffolding, and a quote that includes one needs explaining.
When a scaffold is the safe way up
A scaffold earns its place when the roof is high, steep or long, or when the work cannot be done from a single fixed position. Chimney work, valley repairs and anything at the ridge of a house with two floors need a platform to stand on, a guard along the edge and somewhere to put materials. Working from a ladder on a slope with a tile in one hand is the wrong set-up.
Scaffolding helps the work itself, too. A roofer with both hands free and stable footing does a tidier job, with fewer trips up and down the ladder, and details such as lead flashing, which has to be dressed neatly into the joint, benefit from it. Our page on scaffolding for roof repair covers when the extra cost is worth paying, and when it is not.
The scaffold licence when it meets the highway
Under section 169 of the Highways Act 1980, anyone putting up scaffolding that obstructs the highway needs permission in the form of a licence from the highway authority. For Arun, Chichester, Adur, Worthing and Horsham that authority is West Sussex County Council, which wants a minimum of 10 working days' notice; its published fee for one month's scaffolding is £266.
Hampshire County Council covers Havant and East Hampshire. It asks for ten clear working days between the application and the start date. Its fee is £211.90 for the opening fortnight, and the scaffold contractor, not the householder, is the one who applies. In Portsmouth, ask the city council as highway authority. The notice period shapes the timetable: a scaffold cannot appear the day you phone, so a temporary cover may be needed first if water is coming in. Hampshire also expects the scaffold itself to be built to BS EN 12810 and 12811 or to the TG20:13 guide, which is another reason the scaffold firm handles the application and the design together.
What a scaffold adds to the price
Scaffolding can be a large share of a small job. Checkatrade's guide puts it at around £875 per month for a typical semi, £800 for a terrace, £1,000 for a detached bungalow and £1,200 for a detached house. The same guide quotes council permits at approximately £140 per month.
That is one reason an apparently minor fault, such as a leaking chimney flashing, can cost more than expected. Whichever prices you hold, check whether scaffolding is included and whether VAT is. Our quote is written after the survey and ends in one total, so the whole sum sits in one place. Typical rates for the repair itself are on the page for repair cost per square metre. Ask how long the scaffold will stay up, because hire is billed monthly, and how the price changes if bad weather holds the work up.
How we decide, and how to ask
During the survey we note the height, the pitch, where the fault sits and what lies at the foot of the wall, including paths, flower beds and neighbouring boundaries. Then we tell you which access method suits the job and why, with pictures of the roof and its surroundings. If a ladder or tower will do the work safely, that is what we recommend. If a scaffold is the right way up, we say that as well, and explain its purpose.
Put three questions to any roofer: how will you reach the roof, is a scaffold licence needed and who applies, and does the quote include it. Our page on the roof repair survey visit explains what the visit covers, and how long a roof repair takes shows how access affects the timetable. The wider service is roof repairs.
Related questions
Scaffold access questions
Who applies for the scaffold licence?
It depends on the authority. Hampshire County Council's page says the scaffolding firm is the one that applies for its customers. For other areas, ask your roofer and the scaffold firm who is applying, and check that the quote includes the licence fee, so it does not appear later as a surprise.
Can a small repair on a bungalow be done from ladders?
Often, yes. A low roof with a modest fault can be reached from a secured ladder or a tower, provided the ground is firm and the slope is not steep. The survey confirms it, and you are told if a scaffold is not needed.