Greater London · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in Forestdale, Greater London
Independent drone roof surveys in Forestdale. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
- Plant growth and moss on the roof
- Ridge and hip pieces working loose
How a drone roof survey works in Forestdale
From the air, the outer surfaces are clear, but it cannot see under the coverings or into the loft. Where there’s safe access, we look in the loft space too, since that’s where leaks and condensation often show first. Together, the two give a fuller picture. Your report shows the drone photos alongside what we saw in the loft. If there is no safe loft access, the report says so. We survey fragile roofs, valleys and parapet gutters and flat roofs on upper floors, and the problems we are asked to look at most are eroded pointing on a chimney stack and standing water on a flat roof.
London’s roofs are often hard to see from the street: butterfly roofs behind parapets, dormer tops and flat roofs over back additions. That is where a view from the air or a thermal camera helps, by showing what cannot be reached safely. Weather on the day decides whether it goes ahead, in Forestdale as anywhere. Thermal images show surface temperature, not water itself, so findings are checked with moisture readings.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- Forestdale (CR0, CR2)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we are asked to look at in Forestdale
Large roofs take a long time to see on foot. The drone covers the surface area by area. You see the whole roof, not just the parts near an access point.
Most people get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Gaps where slates or tiles have gone
- Blistered or cracked flat roof coverings
- Slates or tiles shifted by high winds
- Vegetation in valleys and gutters
For a London address like Forestdale, it helps to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space.
What to check before booking
- Their report turnaround times
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What insurance they carry
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Keep a clear space in the garden or drive for take-off
- Mention anything you’ve noticed on the roof
- Be ready to move the date if the weather turns
- Let neighbours know about the flight if your roof is shared
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. The photos show the location and extent of every problem.
Plan a drone survey every few years for tall or large roofs. Regular photos make changes easy to spot, and early repairs keep water out.
Flying and imaging in Forestdale
Our drone weighs under 250g, and we hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID. In the open category, flights stay below 120 m (400 ft) and within sight. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons.
If you look after a building such as Courtwood Primary School, big roofs are where photos from the air and thermal images show the most at once. Addington Palace lies about 0.9 miles north, so building around Forestdale goes back a long way. Aerial photos and thermal images let an old roof be checked without anyone disturbing it.
Forestdale is about 3 miles south-east of Croydon, in Greater London. We provide drone roof surveys for homes and businesses in Forestdale and the surrounding area. Forestdale is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work for drone roof surveys. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
We survey roofs across the CR0 and CR2 postcode area for drone roof surveys and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Courtwood Lane, Goldfinch Road and Bardolph Avenue. If you are just outside Forestdale, we cover Selsdon (1 mile west), New Addington (1 mile east), Addington (1 mile north), Farleigh (1 mile south) and Fickleshole (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover London (11 miles north), City of Westminster (13 miles north-west), Marylebone (13 miles north), Kensington (13 miles north-west), St Pancras (13 miles north) and Shoreditch (13 miles north).
Local landmarks in Forestdale
In Forestdale, that means homes and buildings near John Ruskin College and Addington Park and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Sanderstead station, roughly 2.4 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Warlingham Park Hospital (1.9 miles south) and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (3.5 miles west). The countryside around Forestdale includes Nore Hill and Hutchinson's Bank.
Forestdale: your questions answered
Is my home in Forestdale listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Are there drone restrictions around Forestdale?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions, including zones around airports and prisons. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain.
How much is a survey?
Our price is from £400, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included.
Does the report include photos?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.
How do I book a survey in Forestdale?
Simply ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
What do I do with the report?
You will receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
Does someone need to be in?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We’ll talk about access when booking.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Forestdale
Faults on high roofs tend to be found late. By that stage the damage has spread inside. A drone survey finds them sooner. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. When the stain finally shows, the damage underneath is often older than it looks.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
What you get with us
- An independent look at the roof
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
The survey, step by step
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. Most visits take about 1–2 hours at a house, including the airspace and weather checks before take-off. From the street, a London terrace typically shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Forestdale we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. If other people live in the building, tell us who can let us into the shared parts.
- You give us the address so we can check the airspace.
- We arrange any permission that is needed before we fly.
- On the day, we check the weather and the site before flying.
- The sub-250g drone takes close-up photographs of the roof, kept in sight throughout.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Let us know about parking near the property
How to book
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Related advice
Nearby places to Forestdale
Also in Forestdale
Prices for drone roof surveys in Forestdale
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- Height and safe access
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The shape of the roof and its details
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. We confirm the price for your roof before you book.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- The property’s address and postcode
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
The top of a stack is normally out of view. A drone gets close to the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
Large commercial roofs
Fragile roof sheets and roof lights can be dangerous to walk on. With a drone, nobody has to go near them.