Solar panel survey deliverables: roof context for design
What an installer should be able to see in the report before a proposed layout moves into technical review.
Related: solar survey reports · roof assessment guide · view sample report
A survey report is useful when somebody who did not attend the property can follow the roof geometry, electrical route and access constraints. The booked scope should be clear, and anything that could not be confirmed should remain visible rather than being filled with an assumption.
1) Roof overview + scaling
- Wide photographs showing every roof face included in the brief
- Measured eaves, ridge, hip or verge dimensions needed to understand usable space
- Pitch, covering and orientation recorded against the correct roof plane
- Annotated photographs where a measurement could otherwise be misread
2) Obstructions + constraints
- Chimneys, vents, rooflights, dormers, valleys and adjoining roof sections
- Trees, neighbouring structures and other visible sources of shading
- Roof condition observations and access limitations, without presenting them as a structural assessment
- Evidence grouped by roof plane so the designer does not have to identify it from memory
3) Electrical evidence (where required)
- Meter, cut-out and consumer-unit photographs where included
- Likely inverter, battery and cable-route context requested by the installer
- Labels and visible ratings photographed clearly, without treating them as an electrical test
- Missing or inaccessible evidence identified for follow-up
4) Access and handover
The report should also show how the roof and equipment areas can be reached, where scaffolding or lifting arrangements may need consideration and which questions remain for the installer. Vertex checks the booked fields before issue, then delivers the report through the portal with the job record.