Checklist

Ground-level roof inspection checklist

What you can observe safely from the ground, what to photograph, and what to write down so a roofer can act on it.

6 min readReviewed 2026-11-10Roof Repair Roof editorial teamFree, no email required

This is a recording sheet, not a diagnosis. Every item below is something you can check with your feet on the ground and a phone in your hand. Anything that needs a ladder belongs to a professional.

Before you start

Pick a dry day. Water and algae make surfaces and ladders more dangerous, and wet shingles hide colour differences.
Work from the ground with binoculars if you have them, and from a window where you can see the roof plane from above.
Tell someone you are going outside to look at the roof, and keep children and pets away from ladders and dropped debris.
Never walk a roof, and never lean a ladder against a gutter run. Both are common causes of serious injury.

Roof surface, from a distance

Look for shingle tabs that are lifted, curled, cracked or missing, and note roughly where they are on the roof.
Check for lines that are no longer straight: sagging suggests a structural or moisture problem, not just wear.
Note granules collecting in gutters or at downspout outlets — that is shingle wear you can see from below.
Photograph each area you are worried about, and include a wide shot so the location makes sense later.

Gutters and drainage

Check that gutters are attached, not pulling away or sagging between brackets.
Look for plants growing in the gutter line, and for granules or shingle fragments in the outlet.
Confirm water leaves the downspout away from the foundation rather than pooling against the wall.
Note any stain on the fascia or soffit directly behind a gutter — it usually means water is getting behind the gutter, not into it.

Penetrations and edges

Look at the seals around pipes, vents and the chimney: cracked sealant, missing collars and gaps are visible from the ground.
Check that chimney flashing is visibly stepped into the roof, not smeared with sealant.
Look along the rake and eave edges for lifted metal, missing drip edge or exposed underlayment.
Check the condition of any skylight — cracked glass, condensation inside the pane, or a visibly lifted flashing kit.

Inside the house

Note the date you first saw each stain, and whether it grows after rain or stays the same.
Look for tide marks (brown rings), bubbling paint and soft drywall, which suggest repeated wetting and drying.
Check the attic or loft for daylight through the roof, dark staining on rafters, or damp insulation.
Photograph the ceiling and the corresponding exterior wall so the two can be compared.

What to send a contractor

The photographs, with the wide shot first.
A one-line description of each problem: what, where, when you first noticed.
Whether water appears inside, and where.
Whether anything has changed recently — a storm, a repair, a satellite dish, work on the chimney.

A contractor's inspection can change any conclusion you reach here, in either direction. This sheet exists to make that inspection faster and more specific, not to replace it.

The checklist above is already yours — subscribing just tells you when it changes.