The short answer
Yes. Cleaning often shows faults that moss was covering, such as a slipped tile, a chipped slate or a rocking ridge tile, and small ones can be put right while the roof is clear. Larger repairs are better photographed and explained first, so you choose what is done. Tiles and ridge tiles can be replaced; the survey shows which job you have.
A clean strips away the green and shows what was underneath. Some of that is a two-minute fix, and some is a conversation.
What a clean tends to uncover
Moss, lichen and a layer of dirt hide a lot. Once the surface is brushed and treated, the roof reads clearly for the first time in years, and we see things from close range that binoculars never show.
Which faults can a clean reveal?
Typical discoveries include tiles that have crept out of line, chipped corners, a cracked slate, ridge tiles on crumbling mortar, and pointing that has fallen out along a gable verge. Lead flashing around a chimney can be lifted or dented. Gutters packed with moss are often found to be sagging or leaking at the joints.
Finding faults is no cause for alarm. A roof that has been up there through Somerset weather will have wear, and it is far better to know now than after the next storm. We photograph each fault as we find it, so you see your own roof in your own pictures, in order, with a note on what each one means.
The photographs also help if you are weighing up a repair against a bigger job, or if you need something to show a neighbour, a landlord or an insurer.
Can you replace tiles or ridge tiles?
Yes, both are routine. For a slipped or broken tile, the roofer frees it, slides in a matching one and fixes it with clips or nails, whichever that tile design needs. Replacing a cluster of them is no harder than replacing one, provided the battens beneath, the timber strips that hold the tiles, are sound.
How are ridge tiles refixed?
Ridge tiles cap the top of the roof, where the slopes meet, and were traditionally bedded on mortar. Marley points out that since the 2014 revision of BS 5534 mortar has not been trusted to hold bedded ridge tiles alone, which is why they now take mechanical fixings. A rebedded ridge is secured with clips or screws, or swapped for a dry-fix system built to BS 8612.
MyJobQuote gives 5 tiles at £150 to £200 and ridge tile replacement at £225 to £550 as typical UK ranges (MyJobQuote, Oct 2026). Those figures are national, and the cost of your own job depends on access and how much is found. See also whether moss damages a roof for what growth does to tiles over time.
Repair now or clean first
A sensible order saves effort. If tiles are slipped or a ridge is rocking, cleaning on top of them is awkward, because the roof is not safe to walk, and brushing may knock loose pieces further out of place.
What gets fixed during the clean itself?
Small, safe jobs go straight in: a single tile, a few clips, a section of ridge, a patch of pointing. Anything needing scaffold, a new section of valley, replacement flashing or a re-laid slope is a bigger repair. You are shown the photographs and told what is involved, and you agree it in writing before it starts.
The other way round also works. If you already know a repair is due, ask for the clean to follow it, as the moss then comes off a sound surface and nothing is disturbed afterwards. For a roof you intend to sell, cleaning a roof before selling sets out how repairs and a clean fit together.
Heritage properties call for like-for-like repair in the first place. Where a conservation area or a listing applies, ask Somerset Council's planning team before changing any material.
When repairs mean a different job
Occasionally a clean reveals more than patching can fix. Battens that crumble when touched, a slope where many tiles are porous or cracked, or underlay in tatters point towards a larger repair or a full re-roof, and the survey photographs usually make that clear to you as well as to us.
When does patching stop being worthwhile?
Look at the pattern across the slope. A few scattered faults suggest repairs, and the survey photographs mark where each one sits. The same fault in rows across one slope suggests the whole slope has aged together, and fixing it piece by piece becomes an ongoing cost. Our survey photographs show which of the two you have, and we tell you straight when mending beats renewing, because a patch on a worn-out slope is money wasted.
Neither route is rushed. A roof letting in water gets a make-safe visit ahead of the proper repair.
Everything we cover about cleaning sits on the roof cleaning and moss removal page. To start, send a photo or two of the roof. The survey leads to one written total for the clean and whichever repairs you decide to take on.
Questions on repairs with a clean
Will a clean make loose tiles worse?
Gentle brushing should not, but a tile that is already loose can move when moss is lifted from around it. That is why the roof is looked over first and loose pieces are secured before cleaning on or near them. Anything that cannot be secured safely is photographed and left for a repair visit.
Do I have to pay for repairs if you find some?
Only for repairs you agree to. You see photographs of each fault and an explanation of what it needs. Small jobs can be done while the roof is clear if you say so; larger ones are priced in writing before any work starts, so nothing is added to the bill without your say.
The full picture: Roof cleaning and moss removal in Taunton · More short answers