Kent · London and the South East
Lower Hardres Drone Roof Survey
Know where you stand with the roof before you decide what to do next. We carry out drone roof surveys in Lower Hardres.
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
- Ridge and hip pieces working loose
- Outlets choked with leaves and silt
What we look for on each type of roof
Large commercial roofs
Many commercial roofs have fragile sheets or roof lights. With a drone, nobody has to go near them.
Valleys and parapet gutters
Valleys and parapet gutters are hidden from the street. From above, we can see the linings, the joints and any debris.
How a drone roof survey works in Lower Hardres
A drone can see more than your roof, so we take care. We keep the camera on the roof we are surveying, not on gardens or windows next door. If your roof is joined to a neighbour’s, it is worth letting them know about the visit. We survey the roof you’ve asked us to look at. Each flight is kept short and stays focused on the roof we are there to survey. If you’re worried about blistered or cracked flat roof coverings and eroded pointing on a chimney stack, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Villages like Lower Hardres often stand in open country, where wind can be strong. High wind or heavy rain stops a small drone flying, and calm conditions also suit thermal imaging best. The visit is planned around the forecast, along with the journey and access. A change in the forecast can mean moving the visit to another day.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Lower Hardres (CT4)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on the day
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there is safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. The whole visit typically takes between one and two hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. Older roofs in small places like Lower Hardres can have low, tight loft spaces, so it helps to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it is safe.
- First, we check whether a drone is the right tool.
- We agree a date, including weekends, subject to the weather.
- We fly over the roof, keeping the camera on the property we are surveying.
- If the loft can be reached safely, it is checked too.
- Everything is written up, with the aerial photos and our advice.
Before the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Related advice
What a drone roof survey does not cover
We only report what can be seen safely on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- A flight on a day when the weather is not safe
- A structural engineer’s report
- Roofs and gardens beyond the one we’re surveying
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Fragile roofs
- Tall and steep roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Chimney stacks
- Large and complex roofs
What you can safely check yourself
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when booking and it will help the survey.
Questions from Lower Hardres
Is drone flying allowed in Lower Hardres?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Lower Hardres?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report.
When does the report arrive?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. Each one is emailed, ready to forward.
Does someone need to be in?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access.
What’s in the report?
Written findings with photos, explaining the condition of the roof, any defects and our recommendations. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check; Premium adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Airspace, weather and Lower Hardres roofs
We fly a sub-250g drone and are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Flights in the open category stay under 120 m (400 ft), with the drone kept in sight. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary, thin or patchy insulation under an old roof often shows up clearly on a thermal image. If you look after a building such as Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, thermal images can show where wet insulation sits under a big flat roof.
Lower Hardres is about 3 miles south of Canterbury, in Kent. Lower Hardres is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our Kent coverage includes Lower Hardres.
We survey roofs across CT4 for drone roof surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for drone roof surveys include Street End (1 mile north), Pett Bottom (1 mile south-east), Nackington (1 mile north), Upper Hardres (1 mile south) and Petham (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (11 miles south-west), Canterbury (3 miles north), Dover (12 miles south-east), Folkestone (11 miles south), Whitstable (8 miles north) and Deal (14 miles east).
Around Lower Hardres
In Lower Hardres, that means homes and buildings near The Duck pub, among other places. The nearest railway station is Canterbury East station, roughly 2.7 miles north. A little further out are Kent and Canterbury Hospital (2.2 miles north) and Whitefriars Shopping Centre (2.9 miles north). Not far away are Blean Woods RSPB Reserve.
Places near Lower Hardres
Other services in Lower Hardres
Signs you need a drone roof survey in Lower Hardres
Not every roof can take a person’s weight. Older slates and tiles break easily, and some sheet roofs are fragile. With a drone, the roof is photographed without anyone stepping on it.
Problems we come across often include:
- Standing water on a flat roof
- Flashings that have come away
- Chimney tops in poor condition
- Moss and weeds taking hold up top
For businesses in and around places such as Whitefriars Shopping Centre, thermal images can show trapped moisture across a wide commercial roof.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How soon the report will arrive
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Let neighbours know about the flight if your roof is shared
- Make sure the loft can be reached
- Give us the full address so we can check the airspace
- Let us know what you want to see
There’s a follow-up after 12 months with the Premium Survey. It helps you see how the roof has changed over the year.
Look at the roof from the ground after strong winds. Pieces of slate or tile on the ground mean something has moved. A drone survey can show what has shifted.