You decide on evidence
You can see the defect, so the decision to spend or not to spend is yours on the facts rather than on how persuasive somebody was.
Photographic roof reports in Havant & Portsmouth
See your own roofbefore you spenda penny on it
Photographs of what we actually found up there, sent after every inspection, with a plain explanation of what needs doing now, what can wait and what is purely cosmetic — free, and with no pressure attached.
Free with every inspection · Family-run, owner-led · £1,000,000 public liability insurance · phone answered 24/7.
Photographic reports we have completed
- Free
- Included with every inspection and quote
- Team of 6
- Family-run, owner-led roofing team
- No pressure
- You get the photographs whether you proceed or not
- £1m
- Public liability insurance
- 24/7
- Phone answered if you want to talk it through
What it is
Nobody should buyroofing work theycannot see
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer usually cannot inspect what they are being told about. A photographic report closes that gap completely.
After every inspection we send you photographs of your roof: the covering, the ridge and hips, the flashings, the valleys, the verges, the gutters and — where there is access — the loft. Alongside them, a plain explanation of what each one shows. No jargon and no pressure.
The reason we do it is straightforward. Most people's experience of roofers is being told something is wrong by someone who has just come down a ladder, with no way to verify it. That asymmetry is what makes people hesitate, get three quotes for three different scopes of work, and end up choosing on price rather than on what the roof needs.
Photographs remove the argument. If a valley is split, you can see it is split. If nail fatigue is dropping tiles across a run, you can see the pattern. Equally, if your roof is fundamentally sound and only needs the gutters clearing, the photographs show that too, and we will say so.
The report is also useful long after the visit. It gives you dated evidence of condition for an insurer, something concrete to show a surveyor or a buyer, and a baseline to compare against at the next inspection so you can see whether something is actually deteriorating or has simply always looked like that.
Who it is for
Anyone getting quotes and unsure who to believe; landlords and agents managing property remotely; buyers and sellers with a roof flagged on a survey; anyone making an insurance claim.
When it is needed
Before committing to any significant roofing spend, after storm damage, at each annual maintenance visit, and whenever a report or quote does not match what you were told.
Why a professional matters
A photograph only helps if someone can read it. Knowing which hairline crack matters, which is cosmetic, and which pattern of slipped tiles indicates systemic failure is the skill being applied.
What is included
Photographs of the covering, details, junctions, gutters and loft where accessible, an explanation of each, a priority order, and a fixed written price for anything we recommend.
What ignoring it costs
Without evidence,you are buyingsomebody's word
Almost every bad experience people describe with roofing work traces back to a decision made without evidence: unnecessary work sold, real work missed, or a quote that bore no relation to the actual defect.
Paying for work you never needed
Roofs get condemned by people who benefit from condemning them. Without photographs there is no way to check whether the felt is genuinely perished or whether it just sounded convincing.
The real fault gets missed
A leak diagnosed from the ground is a guess. Paying for a guess means the ceiling stain reappears, and you pay a second time for the diagnosis that should have happened first.
No evidence when you need it
Insurers, surveyors and buyers all want proof of condition. Without dated photographs of storm damage and of the completed work, a straightforward claim or sale can become a dispute.
Mistakes we are called out to fix
- Accepting a verbal diagnosis with no photographs and no written scope
- Comparing three quotes that are actually quoting for three different jobs
- Choosing the cheapest price without knowing whether it fixes the actual cause
- Agreeing to work on the spot because someone knocked and said the roof was dangerous
- Having no record of condition before a storm, making the claim harder to prove
- Losing the only account of what was found because it was never written down
Our process
The same system on everyphotographic report job we take on
- 01
Inspection
We access the roof by ladder, scaffold or drone and work through the covering, details, junctions, gutters and loft methodically.
- 02
Recording
Every relevant area is photographed as found — including the parts that are fine — so the record covers the whole roof, not just the problems.
- 03
Diagnosis
Each photograph is explained in plain English: what it shows, why it matters and whether it is urgent, worth watching or cosmetic.
- 04
Report sent to you
The photographs and explanation come to you after the visit, so you can look at them in your own time rather than deciding on a doorstep.
- 05
Fixed price, no pressure
Anything we recommend is quoted as a fixed written price. You keep the report whether you go ahead with us or not.
What you get
Concrete outcomes,not vague promises
Quotes become comparable
With photographs and a written scope you can tell whether two quotes are for the same job, which is usually the reason they differ so much.
Nothing gets missed
A methodical photographic sweep finds the secondary defects a leak-chasing visit skips — the ones that would have become next year's call-out.
Evidence for claims
Dated before-and-after photographs are exactly what an insurer asks for, and they are the part most homeowners cannot produce after the fact.
Useful for buying and selling
A roof flagged on a homebuyer's report can be answered with photographs and a fixed quote instead of an open-ended price reduction.
Costs you nothing
The report is free with the inspection and it is yours to keep, use and show to anyone else, including another roofer.
In detail
What the reportcovers and howto use it
A useful report is not a folder of pretty pictures. It is a structured record of specific elements, each of which fails in a specific way.
“From start to finish, the service provided was excellent. It is clear that they take great pride in their work and genuinely care about making sure their customers are happy with the finished result. There was no pressure, and I felt confident that I was receiving genuine advice and a fair price. They were also respectful of the property and left everything clean and tidy once the work was finished.”
The covering
Photographs of the tiles or slates showing slipped, cracked, chipped or delaminating units, and any pattern that indicates nail fatigue rather than isolated damage. The pattern is what determines whether you need three tiles replaced or a section re-fixed, and it is impossible to judge from the ground.
Ridges, hips and verges
Close photographs of the mortar bedding along the ridge and hips, and the pointing at the verges. Cracking, hollows and missing sections are recorded, because these are both a leak route and a falling-masonry risk over a path or driveway.
Flashings, chimneys and abutments
The junctions where most leaks originate. Split lead, flashings pulled out of the brickwork, mortar fillets used instead of lead, and mastic repairs from previous visits all show clearly in a photograph — as does the difference between a detail that is old and one that has failed.
Valleys and gutters
Debris, silt, standing water, sagging runs and blocked outlets. Gutter photographs are frequently the ones that explain an internal damp patch that had been blamed on something else entirely.
The loft and inside face
Where there is safe access, photographs from inside show daylight through the membrane, staining on rafters and battens, wet insulation and condensation. The inside often dates a problem more accurately than the outside does.
Drone imagery
On steep, high or awkward roofs, a drone survey captures the entire covering in high resolution without scaffold or ladders. That is the most complete form of report available and it is particularly useful for insurance evidence and for large or complex roofs. Drone surveys start from £250.
Using it for insurance and property transactions
Keep the report. Dated photographs of the roof before and after a storm, plus a written scope of any work carried out, is the evidence insurers ask for. For a sale, it answers the surveyor's comment with something specific instead of leaving a buyer to imagine the worst.
Residential, landlord and commercial use
Homeowners use the report to decide. Landlords and letting agents use it to evidence maintenance across a portfolio without visiting every property. Commercial clients use it for planned maintenance records and budgeting. The report is the same; what changes is what it is for.
Straight answers
Photographic reportquestions, answered
Anything not covered here, call 07926 240983. You will speak to an owner, not a salesperson, at any hour of the day.
How much does a photographic report cost?+
Nothing. It comes free with every inspection, and inspections and quotes are free. If a full aerial survey is more appropriate for your roof, drone surveys start from £250.
Do I have to use you for the work to get the report?+
No. The report is yours whether you proceed or not, and you are welcome to show it to another roofer. We would rather you made an informed decision than a rushed one.
How quickly do I get the photographs?+
They are sent to you after the visit rather than shown briefly on a phone at the door, so you have time to look through them properly and come back with questions.
What is actually in the report?+
Photographs of the covering, ridges, hips, verges, flashings, chimneys, valleys and gutters, plus the loft where there is safe access — with an explanation of what each shows and whether it is urgent, worth watching or cosmetic.
Can I use it for an insurance claim?+
Yes. Dated photographs of the damage and of the completed repair, along with a written scope, are usually exactly what insurers request. We cannot manage the claim itself, but we can give you the evidence it needs.
Is it useful when buying or selling a house?+
Very. Where a survey flags the roof, a photographic report plus a fixed written quote turns a vague concern into a known figure, which is a much stronger position for either side of a negotiation.
Will you use the report to sell me a re-roof?+
No. If the roof is sound we will say so in writing. Recommending unnecessary work would end a local reputation built on repeat customers and referrals.
How often should I have one done?+
Annually alongside a roof maintenance visit is sensible for most properties, and always after significant storm damage. Comparing this year's photographs with last year's shows whether something is actually moving.
Can you report on a roof you cannot safely access?+
Yes — that is exactly what a drone survey is for. It captures the whole covering in high resolution without scaffold or ladders, which also avoids the cost of access equipment just to look.
Do you provide reports for landlords with several properties?+
Yes. We can inspect and report across a portfolio and provide a record for each property, which is useful for maintenance evidence and for budgeting across the year.
Related work
Other things we do on the same roof
See every service on our roofing services page, read about the family behind the firm on our about page, or head back to the homepage.
Where we work
Photographic report across Hampshire
- Havant
- Emsworth
- Rowlands Castle
- Portsmouth
- Southbourne
- Southampton
- Chichester
- Hampshire
- West Sussex
Free quote
See exactly whatis happening on yourroof — for free
Book a free inspection and we will send you photographs of the whole roof with an honest explanation of what needs doing, what can wait, and what does not need touching at all.
- Free inspection and free quote, no obligation
- Photographic report of the actual condition
- Fixed written price, cash or bank transfer
- Workmanship guarantee, varies by job type
- £1,000,000 public liability insurance
S&S Roofing & Building Limited
13 Braishfield Rd, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2HS, UK
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week