Drone & aerial building inspections across the UK

Aerial building inspection uses drones to capture detailed external imagery or other agreed data from buildings and areas that can otherwise be difficult to view from ground level.

Depending on the building, agreed brief and suitable pilot capability, aerial inspection can support condition assessment, maintenance planning, insurance evidence, property surveys and other commercial building requirements.

Typical areas of interest can include façades, cladding, rooflines, glazing, parapets, gutters and other high level external structures.

Looking at a wider range of assets? See our drone inspection services.

Depending on the building, operating environment and agreed brief, aerial inspection can be used to capture external areas including:

Façades

Potential visual capture of brickwork, render, pointing, cracking, staining, visible deterioration and other external finishes across each elevation.

Cladding

Potential visual capture of panels, panel joints, fixings visible from the air, sealants, external damage, displacement and weathering. A drone cladding inspection records what is visible externally and does not constitute a formal cladding safety assessment.

Rooflines and parapets

Parapets, flashings, roof edges, gutters, outlets, roof mounted structures and other high level details. For dedicated roof condition work, see drone roof surveys.

Glazing and curtain walling

External glazing, frames, curtain walling, visible seals and external condition at upper floors.

High level structures

External features that can be safely and legally accessed by drone, such as stacks, chimneys, aerials and plant enclosures.

The exact areas that can be captured depend on the building, surrounding environment, airspace, line of sight and safe operating conditions. Aerial inspection can provide broad and detailed external coverage of a building, subject to the agreed scope and areas that can safely and legally be accessed by drone.

Where the requirement is primarily visual evidence, drone inspection can reduce the need for scaffolding, MEWPs or rope access solely to obtain imagery.

Conventional access may still be required where the work involves physical contact, material testing, sampling, repairs, intrusive investigation or areas that cannot be appropriately inspected by drone.

• Mobilisation. A drone visit is usually quicker to arrange than scaffolding, which needs design, permits and erection time.
• Visual access. A drone can reach most external surfaces, including tall and steeply pitched areas, where flight is permitted and safe.
• Physical access. Only scaffolding, MEWPs and rope access place a person on the structure. A drone cannot touch the building.
• Disruption. Flights are short and typically need little ground space, though this depends on the site and surroundings.
• Cost. Cost outcomes vary by building and brief, so each requirement is assessed on its merits rather than assuming a drone is always cheaper.

Where thermal capability is relevant and a suitably equipped pilot is available, thermal imagery may be captured alongside visual inspection. Thermal imagery can identify temperature differences or anomalies that may warrant further investigation.

Results depend on factors including sensor capability, weather, time of day, surface materials, environmental conditions and capture methodology. Thermal capture is not included with every building inspection and should be identified in the brief. More detail is available on thermal drone surveys.

Deliverables are agreed before the assignment and depend on the purpose of the inspection. Potential outputs may include:

• High resolution aerial imagery
• Close up imagery of agreed areas
• Video
• Site overview imagery
• Thermal imagery where appropriate
• Annotated images where specifically agreed
• Original files where agreed
• Other evidence or file formats specified in the brief

Where a customer requires a particular report format, image structure, naming convention or evidence requirement, this should be identified before the assignment so suitable capability can be confirmed.

A drone pilot primarily captures aerial imagery or data according to the agreed brief. Visible defects or areas of concern can be documented, but imagery alone does not necessarily establish the underlying cause or provide a professional technical diagnosis.

Depending on the assignment, specialist interpretation may be required from building surveyors, structural engineers, roofing professionals, façade specialists, cladding specialists, thermographers, loss adjusters or other appropriately qualified professionals.

Aerial building imagery can support insurance and loss adjusting workflows by providing visual evidence of external property condition and damage. Potential uses may include:

• Storm damage
• Roof damage
• External building damage
• Fire related external evidence
• Flood related external evidence
• Claims documentation
• Loss adjusting support
• Property assessment

Evidence and reporting requirements vary between insurers, claims and assignments. Where a specific format or capture requirement is needed, this should be agreed within the brief.

A commercial building inspection brief can come from anyone responsible for the condition, value or risk of an external structure:

• Property and facilities managers running condition surveys across a portfolio
• Insurers and loss adjusters gathering external damage evidence
• Building surveyors supplementing a survey with high level imagery
• Housing providers and commercial landlords reviewing cladding, render and roof condition
• Construction companies and contractors recording condition before and after works
• Property owners, estate and asset managers obtaining a baseline before a maintenance programme

Ready to proceed? Hire a UK drone pilot and we will assess the requirement.

Drone Assisted checks pilot identity, commercial drone insurance and appropriate CAA registration as part of network onboarding. Additional competency, qualifications, specialist equipment and Operational Authorisation are checked where required for the proposed assignment.

The exact operating requirements depend on factors including the aircraft, building location, surrounding environment, nearby people, airspace and nature of the work. See commercial drone pilot requirements for more detail.

Drone Assisted assesses each assignment and seeks to match it with a suitable pilot based on factors including location, experience, equipment, capability, operating requirements and availability.

Where repeat inspections are required, capture requirements can be agreed in advance to support more consistent comparison between visits. Consistency depends on the operating conditions on each visit, so identical positioning is not guaranteed.

Related services: drone inspection services, commercial roof inspection and thermal drone surveys.