Roof inspection report template, and how to write one
The inspection is half the job. The report is what the homeowner, the adjuster and your office actually read. Here is a template to copy, then how to fill in each part so the report holds up.
Download the report template: PDFWord
The template
One report per inspection. Print the PDF and fill it in, or type into the Word file.
Roof inspection report, [date]
Property: [address] · Client: [name and phone]
Inspector: [name, company, and license number if your state requires one]
Conditions: [weather at the time] · Access: [walked, ladder only, drone, or from the ground]
Not inspected: [any slope or area you couldn't reach, and why]
Roof summary: covering [material] · approximate age [years, an estimate unless there is paperwork] · layers [number] · slopes [how many, and the pitch if you measured it]
Findings, one per line:
[#] [where on the roof] · [what you found] · [how bad] · [what to do] · photos [numbers]
Overall condition: [good, fair or poor, slope by slope]
Recommendation: [repair or replace, and the two or three reasons]
Next steps: [estimate attached, follow-up date, anything the homeowner should do now]
Photos: [numbered, a wide, a medium and a close-up for each finding]
Signed: [inspector], [date]
What each part is for
- Conditions and access explain what you could and couldn't see. A slope you inspected from the ladder is not the same as one you walked.
- Not inspected protects you. If a steep or wet slope stayed unchecked, the report says so instead of implying it was fine.
- Roof summary gives the reader the basics in one line before any problem: what the roof is, roughly how old, and how many layers.
- Findings are the core. One problem per line, each with a place, a size or severity, an action and the photos that show it.
- Recommendation is the answer the homeowner wants: repair or replace, and why.
- Next steps turn the report into work: an estimate, a date, a decision the homeowner needs to make.
Writing findings people can act on
A good finding says where, what, how bad and what to do. Compare:
- Vague: "Gutters need work."
Useful: "Front gutter, left of the downspout: pulled away from the fascia for about 6 feet, two hangers missing. Re-hang with new hangers. Photos 14 to 16." - Vague: "Some damaged shingles."
Useful: "West slope, lower third: four shingles creased along the nail line, one missing with underlayment exposed. Replace the five shingles. Photos 7 to 10." - Vague: "Possible leak."
Useful: "Pipe boot on the rear slope: rubber collar cracked on the uphill side. Staining on the attic decking directly below. Replace the boot. Photos 21 to 23."
Photos in the report
Number the photos and refer to them by number in each finding. For every finding, include a wide shot that shows where on the roof it is, a medium one that shows the problem in its surroundings, and a close-up with a tape measure or a coin for scale. Photos that carry the date, time and location in the image are much harder to argue with than a loose set of files.
Say the recommendation plainly
Homeowners read the recommendation first and often only that. Write it in one or two sentences, in plain words, with the reasons that drove it: the age of the roof, how widespread the damage is, the condition of the decking, and how many layers are already on. Point to the findings and photos that back it up. If the decision depends on something you couldn't see, such as the decking under a sound-looking slope, say so.
Common mistakes
- Findings with no location, so nobody can find the problem again.
- Photos in a pile at the end, with no finding pointing to them.
- Every sentence hedged, so the homeowner can't tell what you actually recommend.
- Leaving out what you didn't inspect.
- Sending the report a week later, after the details have faded.
Doing it in FieldPix
Run the built-in Roof Inspection checklist on the job, or record a walkthrough while you inspect: say what you find and take photos as you go, and FieldPix writes notes for each area with the photos under them. Every photo carries the time, date and location burned into the image. One tap turns the job into a PDF report with your logo, the checklist answers and the photos grouped the way you tagged them. See FieldPix for roofers.
