Bats and Re-Roofing: What Every UK Roofer Needs to Know

Most roofers will encounter bats at some point in their career. The issue is that many don't realise they already have, or that the job they're quoting on right now is covered by bat protection law, whether or not a bat has ever been seen on the property.

This guide is written for professional roofers. It covers what triggers the legislation, what you're expected to do when bats are a factor, how to handle a discovery mid-job, and where bat access tiles fit in as the practical solution ecologists most commonly specify.

The Law: What It Actually Says

All 18 species of bat found in the UK are protected under two pieces of legislation: the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. In practice, these make it a criminal offence to:

• Intentionally disturb a bat
• Damage or destroy a bat roost
• Obstruct access to a bat roost

The critical point that catches roofers out: roosts are protected year-round, even when bats are not present. An empty roof space that bats used last summer is still a protected roost in February. The bats don't have to be home for the law to apply.

Penalties for breach are significant. Conviction can result in an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison, plus forfeiture of any equipment used to commit the offence.

Enforcement in England sits with Natural England, and in Wales with Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

None of this requires planning permission to apply. This is the thing most homeowners, and some roofers, don't realise. A straightforward re-tile on a 1930s semi triggers exactly the same legal requirements as a full loft conversion. The absence of a planning application doesn't change your obligations under wildlife law.

Which Jobs Are Most Likely to Involve Bats

Not every roofing job carries the same risk. Some properties and some types of work are significantly more likely to put you in proximity to an active roost.

Higher-risk property types:

• Pre-1960 buildings, particularly pre-1914
• Properties within 200m of water: rivers, canals, ponds, reservoirs
• Properties near woodland, hedgerows or mature trees
• Rural properties, farmhouses and traditional barns
• Any building with existing gaps under ridge tiles, around fascias, or in mortar pointing

Higher-risk jobs:

• Full re-tiles and re-slates
• Felt replacement (old bituminous felt is particularly favoured roost habitat, creating warm sheltered pockets that modern breathable membranes don't)
• Fascia and soffit replacement
• Ridge and hip tile work
• Loft insulation jobs that close off existing gaps

This last category, modern airtight roofing, is worth understanding. The move to breathable membranes has actually reduced the natural roosting opportunities within older roofs. When you re-roof using a modern underlay, you're not just changing a felt: you may be removing habitat that bats have used for years. This is part of why ecologists increasingly require bat access tiles to be specified as part of re-roofing work on older properties.

What to Do Before You Start Work

The time to think about bats is at the quoting stage, not when tiles are already off. Here's a practical process.

1. Ask your client early

Before you price the job, ask whether the property has had a bat survey. Survey results are generally valid for two years. If there's a clean survey on record, you have some protection. If the property has had any previous bat activity flagged, that needs to be escalated before work begins, not discovered on the day.

On heritage properties, rural buildings, or anything pre-1960 near water or woodland, make this a standard part of your quote conversation. Frame it as professional due diligence, which it is.

2. Check for signs before stripping

Before removing any material, spend five minutes doing a quick check:

• Look for bat droppings: small, dark pellets that crumble to dust when dry (unlike mouse droppings, which don't). Check particularly under ridge tiles, in roof voids, and around rafters.
• Look for grease marks around gaps or entry points at the eaves
• Check for any signs of bats at dusk in the weeks before work starts if the timing allows

In a small roof, five minutes of focused checking will usually find any established roost. In larger buildings, apply the same time per section.

3. Know when to stop

If you find evidence of bats once work has started, whether droppings, a bat itself, or visible roost signs, stop work in that area and contact a CIEEM-registered ecologist the same day. Document what you found with photos and notes. This is not optional, and continuing after finding evidence is where prosecutions arise.

4. Think about timing

Where you have flexibility, September to March is lower-risk, as bats are less active and outside the maternity season. This isn't always possible, and it doesn't change your legal obligations, but it's worth factoring into larger projects where scheduling has some flexibility.

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Bat Surveys: What They Involve and Who Pays

If bats are suspected or confirmed, the process typically runs as follows:

Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA): A site visit by a qualified ecologist to assess the likelihood of bat roosting. This is the starting point. Current average cost is around £500, with some providers starting from £399. It's the client's cost, not yours, but you're often the first person to flag that one is needed.

Activity surveys: If the PRA identifies bat presence or high potential, phase 2 emergence or re-entry surveys are required, carried out at dusk and dawn. These typically cost around £900 and can only be done between May and September, which is why raising the issue early matters. Delays waiting for survey windows hold up jobs.

Mitigation report: If bats are confirmed, the ecologist produces a report setting out what mitigation is required. This becomes the specification you work to.

Full survey costs including report writing vary by site, but £1,500–£2,500 is a realistic expectation for a residential property once all stages are complete. Note that surveys are only valid for one to two years, so timing matters on longer projects. For current pricing, Checkatrade's bat survey cost guide provides a regularly updated UK benchmark.

A practical note: good ecologists in popular areas get booked up. On heritage properties or rural conversions, raise the question at the earliest opportunity, ideally when the client first approaches you about the work.

Mitigation: Where Bat Access Tiles Come In

The most common practical outcome of a bat mitigation report for a re-roofing job is the specification of bat access tiles. These are purpose-made tiles or slates that replace a single tile on the roof and create a discreet, weatherproof entry point for bats to reach their roost.

Understanding the two main scenarios:

Crevice roosting species: the pipistrelle is the most common UK bat and typically roosts in tight gaps under tiles, against the felt, at batten level. They need a small opening, around 15–18mm, that gives access to the space between the tile and the underlay.

Roof void species: brown long-eared bats prefer to roost inside the roof void itself. They need an entry point that passes through the felt into the loft space, not just under the tile.

The ecologist's report will specify which type of access is needed and where on the roof it should be positioned. As a rule, the access point should be as close as possible to the location of the original roost. The roofer fits the product; the ecologist specifies it.

Products available from Beddoes Products:

The Bat Access Slate is a ready-made solution for natural slate roofs. It's made from real Spanish slate with a plastic weathering cowl and a non-slip surface that helps bats enter and exit safely. It arrives fully assembled and requires no cutting. It replaces a single slate and sits flush with the roof profile. Available in the two most common UK slate sizes: 500 x 250mm and 600 x 300mm. Designed with guidance from the Bat Conservation Trust.

The Bat Access Tile Kit is the option for roofers who want to convert an existing tile from the same roof, useful when matching a less common slate or where colour-matching matters. The kit includes an underbase, a cowl vent, a cutting template and fitting instructions. You supply the tile; the kit provides the components to convert it. Available in black, grey smooth and grey granular finishes.

Both products meet UK bat protection legislation and are regularly specified in ecologist mitigation reports.

Always have the ecologist confirm product suitability and positioning before fitting. Their report is what protects both you and your client if questions are asked later.

If You Find Bats Mid-Job

It happens. Here's how to handle it without making things worse.

Stop work in that section of the roof immediately. Don't remove further tiles, felt or battens from the affected area.

Document what you found: photos, notes, and the date and time.

Contact a CIEEM-registered ecologist the same day. The CIEEM directory lets you search by location.

Inform your client. Be factual and calm. This is a legal matter, not a catastrophe. The correct process, followed properly, resolves it.

Make the roof weathertight if necessary, but do so without further disturbing the roost area. This may mean temporarily protecting an adjacent section rather than the affected area itself.

Prosecutions in the roofing sector are relatively rare, and they tend to follow cases where a contractor continued work after finding evidence. Stopping, documenting, and calling an ecologist puts you on the right side of the process.

Real-World Prosecutions

Enforcement is active and the cases below are all from the last five years. A consistent pattern runs through each: the "breakdown in communication" defence was raised in at least two of them and failed in both.

Derbyshire, 2023: £14,435 for failing to install bat access tiles A housebuilder pleaded guilty to four offences including stripping a roof containing a pipistrelle roost without ecological supervision, fitting the wrong underlay, and failing to install the bat access tiles required under his mitigation licence. The fine itself was £3,200 but prosecution costs added nearly £10,000 on top. Full case via Roofing Today

Newport, 2024: £2,605 for demolishing a confirmed roost A director pleaded guilty after a building known to contain pipistrelles was demolished before a licence was in place. Full ecological surveys had already confirmed bat activity, so the legal requirement was known before work started. The "breakdown in communication with a sub-contractor" argument did not affect the outcome. Full case via Bat Conservation Trust

Caerphilly, 2024: Three roosts destroyed, costs of £111 A builder received a conditional discharge and costs of £111 after removing a roof and destroying three separate pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle roosts. The low penalty reflects the conditional discharge rather than a fine, but the conviction stands and the case was prosecuted under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. Full case via Protect the Wild

Caernarfon, 2026: £40,000 for demolishing without a licence A Lancashire developer was fined £40,000 at Caernarfon Magistrates Court after demolishing buildings on an industrial estate despite being told by the planning department that no licence was in place. Three bat species had been confirmed on site in a 2023 survey. This is the most recent prosecution at time of writing. Full case via Construction News

London: £600,000 for a national housebuilder Bellway Homes pleaded guilty to destroying a bat roost and received the largest known penalty of its kind. Included here as an illustration of the upper end of exposure for larger contractors and developers. Full case via Construction Enquirer

A Note on Your Professional Reputation

Roofers who handle bat jobs well, who know what to look for, ask the right questions at the quoting stage, and can source compliant products quickly, build a reputation for it. Ecologists and homeowners talk. Conservation officers talk. Being known as a contractor who understands the process, rather than one who was caught out by it, is a genuine differentiator on older properties and rural work.

If you have a job in progress and need advice on which bat access product is right for the roof, contact Beddoes Products. We manufacture both the Bat Access Slate and the Bat Access Tile Kit in-house in Wales, stock both products, and dispatch on DPD with free delivery to any UK address.

Further Resources

• Bat Conservation Trust: bats and the law
• Natural England: bats and planning decisions
• CIEEM ecologist directory
• Beddoes Products: Bats and Building Work (homeowner guide)
• Beddoes Products: Why Are Bats Protected Species in the UK?

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Beddoes Products manufactures roof tile vents and bat access tiles in Welshpool, Wales. All products are made in-house and available with free UK delivery and 60-day returns.