Pre Installation Solar Surveys
Independent proof your roof is ready before the panels go on
Solar PV panels are designed to stay on your roof for 25 years or more. The waterproofing underneath them needs to last just as long, because once the array is installed, inspecting and repairing the roof beneath it becomes far more difficult, disruptive and expensive.
Why survey a roof before installing solar PV?
A solar installation changes everything about how a roof is managed.
Panels, mounting systems, ballast, fixings and cable routes cover large areas of the membrane. Access for future inspection and repair becomes restricted. Foot traffic during installation puts the membrane under more stress than it may have seen in years. And if a leak appears after the array is live, finding and fixing it can mean removing panels, with the cost, downtime and generation losses that follow.
Who Pre-solar Roof Surveys Are For
Building owners and asset managers
You’re committing your roof to 25+ years under an array. A pre-installation survey confirms the roof can support that commitment, or identifies what needs resolving first, before the decision becomes expensive to reverse.
Solar installers and EPC contractors
An independent survey de-risks your project. It gives you a documented condition baseline before your teams access the roof, protects you against claims for pre-existing defects, and helps you advise clients credibly on whether roofing works should precede installation.
Funders, landlords and PPA providers
Where the roof and the array have different owners or funders, independent condition evidence supports lease negotiations, funding due diligence and long-term asset protection.
Because we’re independent
With no stake in roofing repairs or the solar installation itself. Our report carries weight with every party. Nobody has to wonder whether the findings were shaped by someone’s commercial interest in the outcome.
A pre-installation survey deals with that risk at the only point where it’s cheap to deal with: before installation starts.
A documented pre-installation baseline protects everyone. If damage appears after installation, there is clear evidence of what condition the roof was in before work started — which makes responsibility far easier to establish and disputes far easier to avoid.
The survey answers the questions every solar project needs answered:
Is the membrane watertight now, or are there existing breaches?
Is there moisture already trapped within the roof build-up?
Are there defects, ageing details or drainage issues that should be repaired first?
Is the roof condition consistent with the design life of the PV system?
Is there a documented condition baseline before the installer’s works begin?
Not sure which applies? We’ll recommend the right method before anything is booked.
Call 0845 257 7663
Our Roof Survey & Leak Detection Services
Electronic Leak Detection
Non-destructive moisture mapping helps locate hidden moisture within the roof build-up and understand the extent of the problem. This supports targeted repairs and better maintenance decisions.
High Voltage Dry Test
A high-voltage integrity test carried out on dry, exposed membranes, identifying pinholes, punctures, discontinuities and workmanship defects across the membrane surface.
Earth Leakage Wet Test
Carried out in wet conditions during rainfall or after the test area has been wetted down. This method traces the direction of current flow back to the point where moisture is entering the membrane. That makes it the strongest choice when a leak is active and its source needs finding.
Scan-Map™ and EPDM Testing
A faster low voltage wet method, and the one that opens up membranes the others can’t reach. Conventional electronic testing relies on the membrane being non-conductive, which rules out EPDM entirely. Scan-Map™ tests it.
Membrane Condition Surveys
Independent electronic leak detection and integrity testing for flat roof and waterproofing membranes. Ideal for identifying breaches, pinholes, punctures, installation defects and membrane failures on new or existing roof systems.
Thermal Imaging Leak Detection
Thermal imaging roof surveys help identify saturated insulation, entrapped moisture and areas of concern that may not be visible during a standard inspection. A useful method for predictive maintenance and roof condition assessment.
Moisture Mapping
Non-destructive moisture mapping helps locate hidden moisture within the roof build-up and understand the extent of the problem. This supports targeted repairs and better maintenance decisions.
R.A.I.N.™ Roof Monitoring
R.A.I.N.™ is Surveyroof’s roof monitoring and early warning service framework, supporting continuous insight into roof condition using sensor-based monitoring technology. It helps detect moisture and roof incidents earlier, particularly where ongoing visibility is important.
Visual Condition Surveys
Detailed visual roof condition surveys with photographic reporting for industrial metal roofs, aluminium standing seam, pitched tiled roofs and other roof areas where a clear condition report is needed.
Roof Maintenance Programmes
Planned roof maintenance surveys designed to help extend roof life, reduce unplanned costs and identify issues before they develop into larger failures.
Pre Installation Solar Surveys
Planned roof maintenance surveys designed to help extend roof life, reduce unplanned costs and identify issues before they develop into larger failures.
Industrial Roof Surveys
Independent industrial roof surveys and inspections for factories, manufacturing plants, warehouses, industrial estates, processing facilities and logistics operators across the UK.
Commercial Roof Surveys
Independent commercial roof surveys and inspections across the UK for property owners, facilities managers, managing agents, retailers, hoteliers, logistics operators and solar installers.