How to Check Your Roof Condition From the Ground

5 min read

You don’t need to climb onto your roof to get a good sense of its condition. In fact, we’d prefer you didn’t - roof falls are one of the most common causes of serious injury in Australian homes. Most of the warning signs that your roof needs attention are visible from the ground if you know what to look for.

Here’s a practical guide to inspecting your Perth roof without leaving the ground.

What You’ll Need

• A clear day (overcast is fine, but avoid inspecting during rain)
• Binoculars (even cheap ones make a huge difference)
• Your phone camera with zoom
• 15-20 minutes

Walk Around the House

Start by slowly walking the full perimeter of your home, looking up at the roof from different angles. You’re looking for anything that breaks the pattern - a tile sitting differently, a gap where there shouldn’t be one, a colour change, or anything hanging loose.

Tiles: What to Look For

Cracked or broken tiles - these are usually obvious. You’ll see a dark line across a tile, a missing corner, or a gap where a tile has slipped out of position. Even one cracked tile is worth fixing because water will find its way in.

Displaced tiles - tiles that have shifted sideways or slipped down the roof, leaving a gap at the top edge. This happens over time from thermal movement and wind, and it’s more common on steeper pitches.

Colour differences - a section of tiles that’s noticeably darker than the rest usually means moisture is being retained there. This could be from shade (trees overhead), blocked drainage, or tiles that have lost their coating and become porous.

Moss, lichen, or algae - green or black growth on tiles. Some is cosmetic, but heavy growth indicates moisture retention and can deteriorate tiles over time. It’s very common on south-facing slopes in Perth that get less sun.

Ridge Caps (the Top Line)

Look along the ridge line - the peak of the roof. The ridge caps are the rounded or angled tiles that sit on top.

Gaps between caps and tiles - if you can see daylight or gaps where the ridge cap meets the roof tiles, the pointing (the morite/cement that seals the joint) has cracked or fallen out. This is one of the most common issues on Perth roofs over 15 years old.

Crooked or shifted caps - ridge caps that are sitting at an angle or have moved out of line. The bedding underneath has likely failed.

Missing pointing - look for sections where the grey or white cement under the ridge caps has crumbled away completely, leaving bare gaps.

Metal Roofs

Rust spots - even small rust patches on Colorbond or Zincalume will spread if not treated. Look for orange-brown discolouration, especially around screws, overlaps, and cut edges.

Lifted or wavy sheets - sheets that aren’t sitting flat may have loose fixings. Wind gets under lifted sheets and makes the problem worse quickly.

Faded or chalky appearance - rub your hand across a low section if you can safely reach it. If white powder comes off (chalking), the coating has broken down and the steel underneath is losing protection.

Valleys and Flashings

Valleys are the V-shaped channels where two roof planes meet. Flashings are the metal strips around chimneys, walls, vents, and other penetrations.

Rust in valleys - valleys cop a lot of water flow and are often the first metal components to rust through. Look for orange streaks running down the roof from valley lines.

Lifted or bent flashing - flashings that are pulling away from walls or sitting proud of the roof surface will let water in.

Debris buildup - leaves and dirt piled up in valleys. If you can see it from the ground, it’s a lot worse up close.

Check the Gutters

Walk around and look at the gutters from below.

Sagging sections - gutters that dip between brackets are holding water instead of draining, which adds weight and accelerates rust.

Rust or holes - visible orange patches or drip stains on the fascia below the gutter line.

Overflowing stains - water stain marks on the fascia or walls below the gutter edge indicate regular overflow from blockages.

Plant growth - if you can see plants growing in your gutters from the ground, they haven’t been cleaned in a very long time.

Check From Inside

Go into your roof cavity (ceiling space) if you have safe access via a manhole. Use a torch and look for:

• Daylight coming through - if you can see light through the roof, water can get in
• Water stains on timber - dark patches on rafters or battens indicate past or current leaks
• Mould or musty smell - moisture is getting in somewhere
• Sagging sarking - the reflective foil under the tiles should be taut. Sagging pockets mean water is pooling

If you don’t have safe access to the ceiling space, skip this step - it’s not worth the risk.

The Binocular Advantage

A decent pair of binoculars lets you see detail that’s invisible to the naked eye from ground level. You can spot:

• Individual cracked tiles
• Missing screws in metal roofs
• The exact condition of pointing along the ridge line
• Small rust patches
• Whether flashing is properly sealed

Take photos through your phone camera on maximum zoom as well - they’re useful to show a roofer when getting a quote.

When to Call a Professional

If your ground-level inspection reveals any of the following, it’s time for a professional roof inspection:

• Multiple cracked or displaced tiles
• Significant pointing deterioration along the ridge
• Rust on valleys or flashings
• Visible sagging anywhere on the roof
• Active leaks or water stains inside
• The roof hasn’t been inspected or maintained in 10+ years

For a restoration quote, we assess your roof remotely from satellite and aerial imagery, so there is no site visit needed and the quote is free. If you would prefer a standalone on-site roof inspection with a documented photo report, we can arrange one for a fee. Either way, get a quote and you’ll know exactly where you stand. Sometimes the roof is fine and just needs a clean. Sometimes it needs more.