When a Melbourne roof inspection pays for itself
Buying a terrace or heritage home
Melbourne's terraces hide their roofs behind decorative parapets, and many inner suburbs, including Albert Park, Fitzroy, Carlton, Parkville and East Melbourne, sit under strict heritage overlays. You can't see the roof from the street, and repairs may need to match the original. A roof inspection before you buy is the only way to know what you're taking on.
Slate that might not be slate
Early buildings survive in East Melbourne, Fitzroy, Hawthorn, Williamstown, St Kilda and Heidelberg. Australia's asbestos agency says asbestos cement 'slates' and shingles were made here from the late 1800s to the 1980s, often to replace real slate while keeping the look. Only a laboratory test can confirm which you have.
After a hailstorm
By 17 March 2010, eleven days after Melbourne's big hailstorm, more than 40,000 insurance claims had been lodged. Hail damage isn't always visible from the ground, and a cracked tile may not leak until the next heavy rain. A roofer's photos and written findings soon after a storm give your insurer something solid to work from.
In bushfire areas
Monier says roof spaces are highly vulnerable to ember entry. In the Dandenong Ranges and other bushfire-prone areas, an inspection can pick up gaps at ridges, valleys and eaves where embers could get in. Your BAL rating is a separate assessment, though, so don't treat a roof inspection as one.
What a useful Melbourne roof report covers
- Photos of every slope, plus close-ups of anything that needs attention
- Ridge and hip mortar, broken or slipped tiles, rust, screws and sheet laps
- Flashings at chimneys, walls, parapets and skylights
- Valleys, gutters, and on terraces, the box gutters and rainwater heads
- The roof space: water stains, daylight, the state of any sarking
- Anything that might be asbestos cement, flagged for testing
- What needs doing now, what can wait, and a rough priority order
Questions to ask before booking
- Will you check the roof surface up close and the roof space, or work by drone or from a ladder?
- Do I get a written report with photos, and how soon?
- Have you worked on parapet roofs, slate and old terracotta?
- Will you flag anything that could be asbestos cement?
- If you find work that needs doing, will you quote it separately so I can compare?
What an inspection won't tell you
A general building inspection may not include a close look at the roof, and Australia's asbestos agency says pre-purchase building inspections generally don't cover asbestos. A dedicated roof inspection goes further, but it still can't confirm asbestos without a lab test.
Monier suggests a professional roof inspection every five to seven years on a tiled roof. For a sound roof, that's often all the maintenance planning you need.
Where we'd start
If we were buying an inner-city terrace or any home built before 1990, we'd book a separate roof inspection before we were committed to the purchase, and ask the roofer to flag possible asbestos. After a hailstorm, we'd get one within a few weeks, even if nothing is leaking yet. Our national roof inspections page covers inspection types, and the Melbourne hub has more on local roofs.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.
