On average and if the roof has been installed and maintained by a competent roofer, flat roofing systems should last 20 years and a pitched, slate or tiled roof can last 80-100 years. A lot of this will depend on the location of the roof, sometimes a roof near a seaside location may deteriorate quicker than a roof in a rural country location.

Here are some of the obvious signs to look out for if you suspect you have an issue with your roof.
1.There are damp patches on your ceiling or on the corners of your room.
2. You can see visible light coming into the loft space and there are wet spots in that space.
3. There is damp in the attic space and you can see down on the timbers in the roof.
4. If you look up from the road you can see the top of the roof us uneven or even sagging.
5. Your chimney is tilting or you can see the chimney has missing mortar in the stack.
6. There are leaks in the house where the chimney comes down into the room.
7. Your roof is covered in vegetation or moss and you can not see any of the slates or tiles underneath.
(these are not the only signs of a damaged or failing roofing system, if you suspect there is an issue with your roof, contact one of our team for a free estimate)

Finding a reliable and competent roofing contractor can be a challenge and the cheapest is not always the best. We ask all of our clients, if they are getting a comparison quote to contact the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, Hodgson & Sons (Hodgson Roofing is a division of Hodgson & Sons) are members of The National Federation of Roofing Contractors and there are a number of criteria we have to follow to become a member giving our clients the reassurance they need that we have been through a rigorous membership application process. This will give you the peace of mind you are employing a trustworthy roofing contractor.

If you are replacing more than 50% of an existing roof, you will either need to register this with Building Control prior to starting the work so they can carry out inspections, or you will need to use a roofing contractor that is registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors Competent Roofer Scheme (NFRCCRS) LINK TO https://nfrccps.com/ if you use a registered contractor, they will be able to self-certify your new or replacement roof.

If your flat roof has been correctly installed and is watertight, small pools or puddles of water that evaporate once the rain has stopped shouldn’t be a problem. Most flat roofs have a slight incline that allows the water to drain off, so although they are called flat, they are not completely flat. If there large ponds of water that have caused a damp patch to appear on your ceiling you do need to get a roofer to come and have a look

Most roofers won’t charge you to get a quotation done on your roof, some roofers may make a charge for mileage if it’s outside of their catchment area. There can also be a set price for a quotation if you are in the process of buying a property, this will require a roof survey to be carried out, usually to support a report from the surveyor, which will include a full gallery of photos plus a costing to have the works carried out.