Vantage UAV | Roof Inspection Programme with Stonewater Housing Association

Overview

Vantage UAV partnered with Stonewater to carry out aerial drone surveys across almost a thousand residential assets aged five years and older across their portfolio. Stonewater is one of England's largest housing associations, managing around 40,000 homes for over 93,000 customers.

The team delivered high-resolution RGB roof imagery through a single online inspection portal, enabling Stonewater’s internal team to assess roof condition and carry out their own defect analysis.

Stonewater now has an up-to-date, asset-by-asset picture of roof conditions across 969 buildings, without a single scaffold going up.

The Problem

Across nearly 40,000 homes, roofs age at different rates and a lot can change between five-year stock condition surveys. Stonewater wanted clearer visibility of roof condition across 969 buildings aged five years or more, so issues could be picked up between cyclical assessments.

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Traditional inspections weren’t the answer. Scaffolding almost 1,000 buildings, whether repairs work was needed or not, would have been costly, slow to coordinate and disruptive for residents. Where repairs were flagged, Stonewater would then have to leave scaffolding up until works were complete or pay to put it back up later.

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The programme also ran through winter, from December to March. Snow covered roofs delayed scheduled inspections, while heavy rain limited when it was safe to fly.

5x Estimated Return

969 Buildings Inspected

4-month delivery

The Solution

Vantage UAV designed and delivered a programme tailored to Stonewater’s risk criteria, prioritising every residential asset aged five years or more across its England portfolio. More than ten CAA-certified pilots surveyed all 969 buildings between December 2025 and March 2026, capturing detailed high-resolution RGB imagery of each roof in minutes.

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Every roof was captured to the same standard and flight path, giving Stonewater a consistent and comparable baseline across all assets.

Imagery was delivered through a single, easy-to-use portal where Stonewater’s teams could review, annotate and prioritise repairs remotely, building a secure digital record for future maintenance and investment decisions.

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No scaffolding was needed, so inspections caused minimal disruption to residents and access equipment only goes up where repairs are required. Vantage UAV’s large pilot network meant flights could be scheduled flexibly around snow and rain, taking the programme from first flight to final building in four months.

Client Feedback

“I’d score Vantage and the service as a 10. We estimate a 5x return on the cost of surveys through our ability to easily update component data, drive data-driven roof replacement programmes and address minor repairs before they escalate. This is even before you include the added value we will generate through improved customer satisfaction from timely repairs and properly scheduled replacements.” - Robert Panou, Director of Asset Strategy at Stonewater

Conclusion

Inspections across all 969 buildings identified defects typical of ageing roofs: missing and broken tiles, damaged or blocked guttering and vegetation growth, plus a range of smaller maintenance issues. Stonewater now holds a full digital record of roof condition for every asset, highlighting priority areas to inform planned maintenance.

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5x estimated return - Stonewater estimates a 5x return on survey costs through easier component data updates, data-led roof replacement programmes and earlier minor repairs.
Earlier defect identification - Every building now has a current, visually evidenced record of roof condition, closing the gap between stock condition surveys so minor defects are caught before they escalate.
No scaffolding required - Nearly 1,000 buildings inspected without scaffolding or cherry pickers, avoiding the cost, delays, safety risks and resident disruption of traditional access
Delivered on schedule - A large pilot network completed all surveys in four months despite winter weather, so Stonewater can act on repairs sooner and keep residents satisfied.

Download the full case study

5x Estimated Return

Stonewater estimates a 5x return on survey costs through easier component data updates, data-led roof replacement programmes and earlier minor repairs.

Delivered on Schedule

A large pilot network completed all surveys in four months despite winter weather, so Stonewater can act on repairs sooner and keep residents satisfied.

Earlier Defect Identification

Every building now has a current, visually evidenced record of roof condition, closing the gap between stock condition surveys so minor defects are caught before they escalate.

No Scaffolding Required

Nearly 1,000 buildings inspected without scaffolding or cherry pickers, avoiding the cost, delays, safety risks and resident disruption of traditional access.

Roof Inspection Programme with Stonewater Housing Association.

Overview