Drone roof survey
Close-up, high-resolution imagery of your whole roof, with no scaffolding, no cherry pickers and nobody working at height. Imagery within 48 hours of the flight.
Available Files: JPG, PDF & RAG Reports
30–90
Minutes on Site
None
Access Required
48hr
Imagery Delivery
0
Days of Scaffold
Drone Roof Survey
A professional drone roof survey gives you a clear, detailed view of your roof condition without the cost, disruption and safety risks associated with scaffolding or unnecessary work at height.
Drone Site Surveys provides independent roof inspections for commercial buildings, residential properties and multi-site property portfolios across the UK.
Using high-resolution drone imagery, we inspect roof coverings, chimneys, gutters and rainwater goods, flashings, rooflights and other difficult-to-access areas in exceptional detail.
From high-resolution inspection imagery and video footage to Building Surveyor-led roof condition reports, accurate measurements, 3D and Revit modelling and technical drawings, we can tailor the survey and deliverables to suit your property, portfolio and project requirements.
Example Image Quality
Click each image to view example image quality
What Your Survey Includes
Every roof survey comes as a complete evidence pack, ready to forward straight to a contractor, insurer or legal team without any repackaging. If you only need certain images, you can download them individually.
| Deliverable | What it is | Included |
|---|---|---|
| High-resolution imagery | Full-resolution overview and close-up stills of every roof plane, elevation and detail, geotagged and date-stamped. | Standard |
| Organised folders | Images sorted by roof section into colour-coded folders, so you can pinpoint a defect without scrolling through a gallery. | Standard |
| Survey paperwork | Your RAMS, airspace map and pre-flight documents, filed alongside the imagery so everything is in one place. | Standard |
| Secure delivery | Your own folder on our client portal, with links you can share with colleagues, contractors or insurers. | Standard |
| Building Surveyor report | A written RAG (Red, Amber, Green) condition report identifying visible defects, their severity and any areas needing attention. | Optional |
| Measurements & 3D data | Photogrammetry or LiDAR outputs: roof areas and pitch, 3D and Revit models, and AutoCAD .dwg drawings. | Optional |
Optional outputs are produced from the same flight. Just let us know at quote stage and there is no need for a return visit.
At a Glance
Time on site
30–90 Minutes
Access required
Usually none
Imagery issued
Within 48 hours
Surveyors report
5 working days
Scaffold needed
None
Coverage
UK-wide
Get a Quote
Send us an address. We will come back the same working day with a price and a scope.
Why get a Drone Roof Survey?
A roof can develop problems long before they are visible from ground level. Damaged tiles, deteriorated flashings, blocked gutters, defective roof coverings and other issues can be difficult to assess safely without gaining access to the roof.
A drone roof survey gives you a detailed visual record of the roof from above and from angles that would normally be difficult to reach.
Depending on the roof type, an inspection can help identify visible issues such as:
- Missing, cracked or slipped tiles and slates
- Damaged roof coverings
- Water ingress points
- Defective flashings and leadwork
- Blocked gutters and drainage outlets
- Standing water on flat roofs
- Damaged rooflights
- Corrosion and failed fixings
- Cracking around parapets and junctions
- Storm or impact damage
- Areas that may need further investigation
The Result?
Clear photographic evidence that can support maintenance decisions, professional assessment, repair planning and prioritisation.
Insurance claims
Roof surveys for insurance claims
Before a claim can progress, insurers and loss adjusters normally want clear evidence of the damage. A drone survey captures dated, high-resolution photographs of the affected areas without anyone climbing onto a roof that may already be unsafe. It shows the extent of storm or impact damage and records the roof’s condition before any repairs begin.
Where a previous survey exists, we can compare the earlier imagery with the current condition, to help show whether damage was sudden or built up over time. Your imagery is delivered within 48 hours of the flight as a complete evidence pack, ready to forward to your insurer, loss adjuster or legal team, with an optional Building Surveyor report if you need one. Because we don’t carry out roofing repairs, it’s an independent record that isn’t tied to any repair quote.
Need evidence for a claim? Send us the address and we’ll usually reply the same working day.
All flights are carried out by CAA-authorised pilots. We hold £10m public liability insurance and specialist UAV cover meeting the requirements of EC Regulation 785/2004.
CAA
Paperwork before we arrive
Insurance certificate, operations manual and site-specific RAMS provided for your records
Safer by design
A safer and more efficient way to assess roof condition
Traditional roof inspections can require scaffolding, access towers or MEWPs (mobile elevated work platforms) before the roof can be properly viewed.
- No unnecessary work at height. Using a drone allows us to inspect roofs without putting people on the roof.
- Less disruption. There is no access equipment to erect around the building, and we can reach areas that are difficult to inspect using traditional methods.
- Overview and detail. Our pilots capture wider overview images and detailed close-ups, so you see the overall roof condition and the specific areas of concern.
- Efficient on larger buildings. Substantial roof areas can be inspected quickly and consistently.
No scaffold · No MEWPs
Roofs and elevations captured from the air, while your building carries on as normal. You don’t normally need to be on site, and we send RAMS before we attend.
Sectors We Cover
Commercial, residential & portfolio roof inspections
We carry out roof inspections across a wide range of property types, from individual homes through to large commercial buildings and nationwide property portfolios.
Our service is suitable for
- ›Offices and commercial premises
- ›Warehouses, factories and industrial buildings
- ›Retail units, shopping centres and retail parks
- ›Residential apartment blocks and housing developments
- ›Housing association and social housing properties
- Restaurants and drinking establishments
- ›Schools, colleges, universities and education estates
- ›Hospitals, clinics and other healthcare buildings
- ›Local authority and public-sector buildings
- ›Historic, heritage and listed buildings
- ›Hotels and leisure centres
- ›Care homes and assisted-living facilities
- ›Distribution centres and logistics hubs
- ›Churches and other places of worship
- ›Agricultural and rural buildings
- ›MOD, defence and secure estate buildings
- ›Prisons, courts and custodial facilities
- ›Construction sites and newly completed developments
- ›Multi-site commercial and residential property portfolios
For clients managing multiple properties, we use a consistent capture and reporting approach across every site, helping teams compare condition and prioritise maintenance.
Why choose us
Why choose Drone Site Surveys?
Drone Site Surveys specialises in professional roof surveys and inspections, delivering high-quality imagery and accurate survey data rather than general aerial photography.
Our experienced, CAA-approved drone pilots work across commercial, industrial and residential properties, capturing detailed roof imagery that helps surveyors, property owners and asset managers assess roof conditions, identify defects and make informed decisions about maintenance, repairs and long-term asset management.
Clients choose Drone Site Surveys for our specialist experience, professional standards and independent approach:
How it works
Our drone roof survey process
From first enquiry to secure delivery, every survey follows the same six steps, so you always know what happens next and when.
Tell us about the property
Email us the site address with postcode and what you need from the survey. We’ll come back with the options available.
Planning and quote
We carry out a desktop assessment of the property and the surrounding airspace, check the survey against current UK drone regulations, and prepare your quote. You receive it by email with no obligation, along with the airspace map for your site and an example delivery so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting.
Booking your date
Once you’re happy with the quote we add your job to the schedule and start monitoring the Met Office forecast. In the meantime we prepare the pre-flight paperwork, including our risk assessment and method statement (RAMS), which we can send over for your records. As soon as we have a clear weather window and pilot availability, we confirm your attendance date. You don’t normally need to be on site.
The survey
Our CAA approved pilot works systematically around the building, capturing the agreed roof areas in high-resolution overlapping imagery.
Processing
Every image is checked and organised into colour-coded folders by roof section. Any reporting, measurements or additional outputs you’ve asked for are completed at this stage.
Delivery
We email you a link to our secure online portal, where your imagery, reports and any other agreed outputs are ready to view, download and share with your team or contractors. Alongside the deliverables you’ll find a folder containing the pre-flight paperwork, a copy of the drone airspace map for your site and any other relevant documents, so everything from the survey is in one place.
__ Request a Quote
Request an independent drone roof survey quote
Whether you need to investigate a specific roof issue, understand the overall condition of a property or assess multiple buildings across a portfolio, we can tailor our survey to your requirements.
Send us the property address, or a list of properties for larger portfolios, along with a brief description of what you need. We will review the site and recommend the most appropriate drone roof survey service, with clear pricing and deliverable options based on the level of detail and output required.
Prefer to Speak to Us?
If you’d rather speak to one of the team, that’s no problem. Simply call the number below and one of our team will be more than happy to help.
Get a Quote
__ In The Know
Frequently Asked
Questions
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about drone roof surveys. If yours is not covered here, give us a call.
What is a drone roof survey?
A drone roof survey is a visual inspection of a roof carried out using a remotely piloted aircraft instead of scaffolding, a cherry picker or roof access. High-resolution images are captured from above and from angles that are difficult to reach on foot, producing a dated photographic record of the roof’s condition that can be reviewed, shared and stored.
How much does a drone roof survey cost?
Cost depends on the size and complexity of the building, its location, and whether you need imagery alone or a fuller package. As a guide, for condition imagery alone, a single domestic property starts at £250.00+VAT or a small commercial roof starts at £350.00+VAT, with multi-site portfolios priced per building. Because there is no scaffolding or access equipment to hire, a drone survey is typically a fraction of the cost of a traditional inspection. If you have multiple properties to survey, depending on location our price can come down considerably.
How long does a drone roof survey take?
Most single domestic building surveys take under an hour on site. Larger or more complex buildings take longer, and multi-site portfolios are usually scheduled across consecutive days to reduce travel costs. Imagery is normally delivered within 48 hours from completion, with written condition reports and modelling following shortly after. It should be noted that planning, processing and travelling to site take a lot longer than the time spent onsite.
Can a drone roof survey be used for an insurance claim?
Yes. Insurers and loss adjusters generally want photographic evidence before a claim can progress, and drone imagery provides dated, high-resolution detail of the damage without anyone accessing the roof. We can supply the raw imagery, a written condition report, or both, depending on what your insurer requires. Where an earlier survey exists, comparison imagery can help demonstrate that damage was sudden rather than long-term wear.
Can a drone survey detect leaks and water ingress?
A standard survey identifies the visible defects that commonly cause water ingress, such as slipped tiles, failed flashings, split felt and blocked outlets. Where the source is not visible, a thermal examination can be added, this is especially good technology suitable for flat roofexaminations: thermal imagery highlights temperature differences caused by trapped moisture, which often reveals the path of a leak that standard photography cannot show.
Can you survey flat roofs, fragile roofs and asbestos cement sheeting?
Yes, and these are among the strongest cases for a drone survey. Fragile coverings such as profiled cement sheet and older rooflights will not reliably bear a person’s weight, so inspecting them remotely removes the risk entirely. On flat roofs, aerial imagery also shows ponding, debris and failed detailing that are difficult to judge from the roof surface itself.
Do I need to be on site during the survey?
Not usually. We need access to the ground around the building and a point of contact for site access, but no one needs to accompany the pilot. For occupied or public-facing sites we agree a time and any cordoning requirements in advance so the survey causes as little disruption as possible.
Is a drone survey as good as a physical roof inspection?
For assessing visible condition, a drone survey often shows more than a physical inspection, because it covers the whole roof from angles that cannot safely be reached on foot. It is a visual inspection and photographic record rather than an intrusive or structural investigation, so where a defect needs opening up or testing, the imagery identifies exactly where that work should be targeted.
What do I receive after the survey?
As standard, a set of high-resolution images covering the full roof area. If required, you can then add a written condition report, thermal examination, measured drawings, or 3D and Revit models built from the same survey data – one visit, as much or as little detail as you need, as long as this is agreed in advance.