Greater London · London and the South East
Riddlesdown Drone Roof Survey
Drone roof surveys across Riddlesdown, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Coverings that have slipped high up on the roof
- Plant growth and moss on the roof
- Wind damage high on the roof
Drone roof survey in Riddlesdown
Drone roof surveys are available in Riddlesdown and throughout London and South East England, subject to airspace checks and the weather. Flights take place on weekdays and at weekends. We check the airspace for your address before booking a flight. You get a written report with close-up photos and recommendations. To ask whether a drone survey suits your roof, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. If you’re worried about cracked mortar along the ridge and worn lead at chimneys and walls, we can find out what’s behind it, on large and complex roofs, chimney stacks and valleys and parapet gutters alike.
London’s roofs are often hard to see from the street: butterfly roofs behind parapets, dormer tops and flat roofs over back additions. That’s where a view from the air or a thermal camera helps, by showing what can’t be reached safely. The weather decides the day: both drones and thermal cameras need the right conditions. What a thermal image shows is temperature, so anything that looks like moisture is checked with a meter.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- Riddlesdown (CR8, CR2)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Honest limits
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Roofs and gardens beyond the one we are surveying
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- A flight where airspace permission is refused
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Large and complex roofs
- Chimney stacks
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Tall and steep roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Fragile roofs
Practical tips
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Book early if you are near an airport
- Share the postcode so we can check for restrictions
- Let us know what you want to see
- Move stored items away from the hatch
Premium also includes a 12-month follow-up. It shows whether anything has moved or worn since the first visit, and whether work has done its job.
Check the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. A drone sees the outside, but the loft shows leaks and condensation from below. Photograph anything new.
Why get it checked now?
Photographing a roof from the air doesn’t touch it. Fragile slates and tiles stay as they are, so the survey does not create new problems. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A small blockage left for a few winters becomes a damp problem.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why us?
- Prices that include VAT
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
Read what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
Drones, thermal imaging and Riddlesdown roofs
The wider area around Riddlesdown has a long history of building, with Addington Palace about 3 miles north-east. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. If your home in Riddlesdown is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Many roofs like these cannot be judged properly from the pavement, and that is where a view from above or a thermal image earns its place.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near St Edmund's Church, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement. Riddlesdown is in London, so parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier, as a space near the door can’t be promised.
Riddlesdown is about 1 mile east of Purley, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Riddlesdown can all book drone roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Across Greater London, we cover Riddlesdown and the places around it. There is also a page for London.
We survey roofs across the CR8 and CR2 postcode area for drone roof surveys and the streets around it. We cover properties on Hyde Road, Lower Road and Famet Avenue. Riddlesdown sits on or near the A22, which makes travel easy. Nearby, we also carry out drone roof surveys in Kenley (1 mile south), Sanderstead (1 mile north-east), South Croydon (2 miles north), Hamsey Green (2 miles south-east) and Whyteleafe (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as London (12 miles north), City of Westminster (13 miles north), Marylebone (13 miles north), Kensington (13 miles north), St Pancras (14 miles north) and Shoreditch (13 miles north).
Landmarks near Riddlesdown
In Riddlesdown, that means homes and buildings near Riddlesdown Collegiate and Dollypers Hill. Riddlesdown has its own railway station: Riddlesdown station. Other landmarks nearby include Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (2 miles north-west) and Purley War Memorial Hospital (1 mile north-west). For a walk, there’s Duppas Hill and Foxley Wood.
Questions from Riddlesdown
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Riddlesdown?
Sometimes, yes. If Riddlesdown has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer.
Is drone flying allowed in Riddlesdown?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. 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. 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 someone need to be in?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access when you book.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are frequently shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
What happens next?
You will get the report by email. With Standard there’s a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If there is a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that can’t be seen from outside.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
How the survey works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a London area like Riddlesdown, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. We then look at whatever is safely visible from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it’s safe, the roof itself.
- First comes the address, plus a note of what worries you about the roof.
- Airspace restrictions are checked and permission sought where needed.
- On the day, we check the wind, weather and site before flying.
- The drone photographs the roof closely, kept in sight throughout.
- We email the report with close-up photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us a few details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Towns and villages near Riddlesdown
What else we do in Riddlesdown
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. Surveys run seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Do you need a drone roof survey in Riddlesdown?
Chimney tops take the worst of the weather. From ground level, you rarely see cracked flaunching or loose pots. A drone gets close enough to see them in detail.
People typically book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Blocked valleys and parapet gutters
- Cracked flaunching or loose chimney pots
- Slates or tiles shifted by high winds
- Slipped or missing slates on a high roof
If you look after a building like Harris Primary Academy Kenley, a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit.
Questions to ask before booking
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?