Roof and gutter check

The short answer

Roof condition is the most expensive uncertainty in a sale, and buyers discount heavily for it. A pre-marketing check — slipped slates, flashings, ridge, and above all clear gutters and downpipes — is inexpensive and gives you either a clean bill of health or the chance to fix something before it appears in the Home Report. In tenements the roof is shared, so evidence of a repair scheme matters.

What the work involves

A visual or drone inspection, gutter and downpipe clearing, minor slate and flashing repair, and documentation of any recent work.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Like-for-like repair does not normally need consent, but listed buildings and conservation areas restrict changes of material. Tenement roofs are common property and repairs are decided under the title deeds or the Tenements (Scotland) Act.

What commonly goes wrong

Leaving gutters full so staining and damp appear on the elevation, and marketing a top-floor tenement flat without addressing a known common roof problem.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Gutter clearing is one of the cheapest jobs available and prevents visible staining and damp.
• Scaffolding is often the largest part of any roof repair cost.
• A tenement roof scheme is shared between owners, but an unresolved one will be reflected in offers.

What to do, in order

1. 1Have the roof inspected and photographed before instructing the Home Report.
2. 2Clear gutters, hoppers, downpipes and gullies.
3. 3Fix slipped slates and failed flashings rather than leaving them visible.
4. 4For a tenement, gather evidence of any agreed or completed common repair.
5. 5Keep photographs and invoices for the buyer's solicitor.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Edinburgh's natural slate roofs on sarking need a roofer who works in slate, and substitution with tile is usually not permitted in conservation areas.
• Common roof repairs in tenements are often the single largest issue in a city flat sale, so an agreed scheme or completed work is a real selling point.
• Statutory notices from the council relating to shared repairs must be disclosed.

When you need a professional

A roofer for inspection and repair; a chartered surveyor where a shared scheme or a significant defect is involved.

Common questions

Is a roof survey worth getting before selling?

An inspection with photographs is inexpensive and either reassures buyers or lets you fix something before it reaches the Home Report.

Do blocked gutters really matter to buyers?

Yes. They cause staining and damp on elevations, which surveyors record and buyers price in.

Related pages

• Shared repairs before selling

  Outstanding common repairs, statutory notices and how they affect a flat sale.

• Fixing damp before selling

  Diagnosing and dealing with damp before a surveyor records it.

• Kerb appeal

  The front door, the frontage and the first photograph a buyer sees.