Roofs and flat roofs
Will a home survey comment on how solar panels are fixed through a roof covering?
It can comment on what is visible: brackets, uneven tiles around them, and stains below. It does not test the electrical generation, and it does not certify the flashing kit. Fixings that puncture a covering are a weatherproofing question as well as an energy question.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
RICS home surveys are not renewable-energy inspections. The surveyor may note that panels are present and whether the covering around them looks disturbed. They will not usually prove the brackets are the ones the tile maker allows, or that the cable entry is weathered. Those details are in the installation papers.
Ask the seller for the installer, the product and any guarantee, and whether the roof warranty was affected. Ask the surveyor what they could see underneath if they entered the loft. An electrician’s comment on the inverter is a different appointment from a roofer’s comment on the brackets. Neither price is a standard figure.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Could you see the brackets and the surrounding tiles, or only the panels from afar?
- Was the loft under the array inspected?
- Are you excluding the electrical performance from this survey?
What are the typical next steps?
- Collect the installation papers through your solicitor.
- If tiles around the brackets are uneven or the loft is stained, ask a roofer who knows that covering.
- Do not ask the home survey to say the panels are a good investment. That is not the inspection.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Do panels always void a tile warranty?
Not always. It depends on the tile maker and the kit. The paperwork says. The survey does not invent that term.
Is a panel on a flat roof the same issue?
The loads and the upstands differ. Ask what the surveyor could see, and ask the installer how the feet are weathered.