Thurrock · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in Tilbury, Thurrock
Close-up drone photographs of roofs that are hard to reach across Tilbury, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Cracked flaunching or loose chimney pots
- Gaps where slates or tiles have gone
- Lifted or split lead flashings
About our drone roof survey in Tilbury
Drone surveys suit tall houses, blocks of flats, steep roofs and large commercial roofs. They’re useful where walking on the roof could damage it or is not safe, such as old slate, clay tiles or cement sheets. The roof is photographed without being disturbed. Ahead of the visit, we check the address for any airspace restrictions that apply. We’ll tell you if another approach would work better. If you’ve noticed moss and weeds taking hold up top and damage after a storm that can’t be seen from below, we can find out what’s behind it, on tall and steep roofs, chimney stacks and large and complex roofs alike.
Places like Tilbury can be near small airfields or other airspace restrictions, so the Drone Safety Map is checked before any flight. Open ground can mean stronger wind, which also affects whether a small drone can fly. Neighbours’ privacy is part of planning each flight, along with the airspace and the weather.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Tilbury (RM18)
- Region
- Thurrock
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Places near Tilbury
More services for Tilbury
Flying and imaging in Tilbury
Tilbury is within about 2 miles of the coast, and wind near the sea can be strong. The weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead, as a small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain. What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as The Gateway Academy, a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit. Shop and office owners around Lakeside Shopping Centre may find that a commercial roof can be photographed from above without anyone walking on it.
Tilbury is about 2 miles south-east of Grays, in Thurrock. In Tilbury, as across Thurrock, every roof gets the same careful survey. Tilbury is one of the places in Thurrock we cover for drone roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Maidstone page.
We survey roofs across the RM18 postcode area for drone roof surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Civic Square, London Road and Church Road or a nearby road, we can help. Being close to the A126 and A1089, Tilbury is easy for us to reach. If you are just outside Tilbury, we cover Biggin (1 mile north-east), West Tilbury (2 miles north-east), Chadwell St Mary (2 miles north), Milton-next-Gravesend (2 miles south-east) and Grays (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Stanford-le-Hope (5 miles north-east), South Ockendon (5 miles north-west), Balstonia (5 miles north-east), Corringham (6 miles north-east), Aveley (5 miles north-west) and South Stifford (3 miles north-west).
What’s near Tilbury
We work in homes and buildings around St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Northfleet Urban Country Park and the streets around them. Tilbury’s nearest station is Tilbury Town station, roughly 0.5 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Stone Castle (4 miles west) and Gravesham Community Hospital (1.4 miles south). For a walk, there is Sawyers Lake and Chafford Gorges Nature Park.
Common questions in Tilbury
How do I find out if my home in Tilbury is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you come out to Tilbury?
Yes, Tilbury is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
How long does a drone roof survey take?
The visit usually takes about one to two hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. We will give you an idea of timing when you book.
Is a drone roof survey a thermal survey?
Our drone survey is about close-up photos. Thermal imaging comes with the Premium Survey, as a separate check.
Can a drone see inside my loft?
No. It shows what’s on the outside. The underside tells us things the drone can’t, so we inspect the roof space as well where access is safe.
What we look for on each type of roof
Large commercial roofs
Big roofs on offices, warehouses and units take time to inspect. The drone covers the roof area by area, so nothing is skipped.
Steep slate and tile slopes
On slate roofs, slipped slates frequently point to corroded nails. Close-up photos show how widespread it is.
Signs you need a drone roof survey in Tilbury
Height and steep pitches make close inspection risky. Three-storey houses, blocks of flats and tall commercial buildings are common examples. We fly from the ground and bring the camera close to the roof.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Damage after a storm that cannot be seen from below
- Flashings that have come away
- Slipped or missing slates on a high roof
- Ponding and splits on a high flat roof
The streets around a church such as St John the Baptist are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- What exactly goes into their report
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
What a drone roof survey does not cover
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- A flight where airspace permission is refused
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Flights in strong wind or heavy rain
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll suggest the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Tall and steep roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Fragile roofs
- Large and complex roofs
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Chimney stacks
How the survey works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof, but as a rough guide the survey takes about 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. If you have questions on the day, just ask. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Tilbury, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. Inside, the loft is looked at where it can be reached safely.
- We start with the address and what you’d like checked.
- Any flight restriction at the address is looked at, with permission requested if required.
- On the day, we check the wind, weather and site before flying.
- Close-up photos are taken of each slope, chimney, valley and gutter, with the drone always in view.
- We email the report with close-up photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Prices start from £400, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
For landlords and managing agents
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.