Free Quote vs Paid Roof Survey: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters
At Barris Roofing Ltd, we pride ourselves on offering expert advice, quality workmanship, and excellent service. However, we’ve noticed a growing trend where clients are booking us to inspect roofs for properties they’re buying or selling — not with the intention of hiring us for the work, but purely to leverage our expertise for negotiations or personal reassurance.
While we understand the pressures of property transactions, it’s important to clarify the difference between a free quote and a professional roof inspection or report, and why this distinction matters.
✅ When Does a Free Quote Apply?
We offer free quotes under the following conditions:
You are the current owner or manager of the property.
You are actively seeking roofing works, repairs, or replacement.
You are looking to hire a roofing contractor, and our quote will help you assess costs and plan the project.
In these cases, our visit includes:
A quick visual inspection (no formal report)
Discussion of your goals or issues
A tailored quotation for the proposed works
This service is offered free because there is a clear scope for us to carry out the job — which makes it a worthwhile investment of our time and resources.
🚫 When a Paid Survey or Report is Required
If you are not seeking a quote for work, and simply want our expertise, opinion, or a roof condition report, this is a professional service and will be charged accordingly. This includes:
Pre-purchase or pre-sale inspections
Using our findings to negotiate house prices
Requesting a written or verbal report without any scope of future roofing work
Insurance-related assessments
In these scenarios, you are effectively requesting our expertise as a consulting service, not as a contractor quoting for work. That’s a critical difference.
💼 Our Paid Services
We offer the following fixed-price professional services:
Full Drone Roof Survey – £399 + VAT
A comprehensive aerial inspection with high-resolution imagery, identifying current and potential issues, backed by a formal PDF report.Flat Roof Insurance Report – £150 + VAT
A targeted report specifically formatted for insurance purposes, outlining flat roof condition, lifespan, and any required remedial works.Short Roof Report (Written) – £150 + VAT
A simplified summary of your roof’s condition, typically used for buyers, sellers, or landlords needing an overview without a full survey.
Why This Matters
We’re a business — with staff, equipment, vehicles, insurance, training, and time invested into each visit. When we’re asked to attend properties without any realistic intention of receiving work, it has a real cost to our business.
We are happy to help genuine clients, but we must draw the line between free quoting and consultancy work. If the visit is solely to help you gather information or negotiate, that is no longer a free service — it’s a professional roof survey.
In Summary
Free QuoteVisual check & project estimate Free
Short Roof ReportBasic condition summary £150 + VAT
Flat Roof Insurance ReportInsurance-specific documentation £150 + VAT
Full Drone Roof Survey & ReportHigh-res imagery & full analysis £399 + VAT
Have Questions?
If you’re unsure which service applies to your situation, we’re happy to advise. But please remember — we can’t provide free services where there is no prospect of work.
Thank you for respecting our time, our expertise, and our team.
