Greater London · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in Widmore, Greater London
A careful look at the roof at your property in Widmore, and put it all in a report with photographs.
- Slates or tiles shifted by high winds
- Plant growth and moss on the roof
- Worn lead at chimneys and walls
How a drone roof survey works in Widmore
Before any flight, we check the airspace. Flight restriction zones around airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick and London City need permission from the airport or air traffic control. Central London has restricted areas of its own, which need NATS permission. If permission is not given, we inspect by other means and explain why. Prison sites also have drone restriction zones. If you’ve noticed wind damage high on the roof and debris building up in hidden gutters, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the 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’s where a view from the air or a thermal camera helps, by showing what cannot be reached safely. The weather decides the day: both drones and thermal cameras need the right conditions. Thermal images show surface temperature, not water itself, so findings are checked with moisture readings.
The report doesn’t just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- Widmore (BR1, BR2, BR7)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in.
Widmore: your questions answered
Is my home in Widmore listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Widmore?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day run more smoothly, so mention what’s available as you book.
What’s in the survey report?
A report with photographs, covering the condition of the roof, the defects we found and what we recommend, by urgency where it matters. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report, and it doesn’t include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we’ll recommend one.
Can you tell me if my roof has 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.
Are you registered with the CAA?
Yes, we are. Our Flyer ID and Operator ID come from the CAA, and we fly a drone that weighs under 250g, kept within sight on every flight.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. Safe viewpoints, the loft and a drone where applicable let us see the rest.
What this survey cannot tell you
It is a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- A flight on a day when the weather isn’t safe
- Roofs and gardens beyond the one we are surveying
- The underside of the roof (that needs an inside check)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Tall and steep roofs
- Large and complex roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Fragile roofs
- Chimney stacks
Prices for drone roof surveys in Widmore
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- House, block, shop or office
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- What kind of property and roof it is
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or email us.
What happens on the day
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will take it from there. The survey itself takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. In a London area like Widmore, the main things to sort out are parking and access: tell us 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, we check the address for flight restrictions.
- Where a flight restriction zone or restricted area applies, we seek permission first.
- On the day, we check the weather and the site before flying.
- The sub-250g drone takes close-up photos of the roof, kept in sight throughout.
- Your report arrives by email, with close-up photos and recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Getting a price
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Let us know the exact address when you book
- Tell next door if the drone will be near their property
- Expect a little longer if permission is needed
- Check there’s room outside for the drone to take off
Premium also includes a 12-month follow-up. It helps you see how the roof has changed over the year.
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. Take photos of any changes.
Airspace, weather and Widmore roofs
London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. Older coverings on steep or tall roofs are hard to judge from below, so close-up photos from the air and thermal images help.
For a London address like Widmore, it is useful to know about controlled parking before the day. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St George, thin or patchy insulation under an old roof often shows up clearly on a thermal image. Take a building like Bullers Wood School for Boys: a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit.
Widmore is about 1 mile east of Bromley, in Greater London. Widmore gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a close look at everything that’s safely in view, photos and a clear written report. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for London.
Here we cover the BR1, BR2 and BR7 postcode area for drone roof surveys. Whether your property is on Golf Road, The Avenue and Canon Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for drone roof surveys include Bickley (1 mile north), Elmstead (1 mile north), Chislehurst (1 mile north-east), Bromley (1 mile west) and Sundridge (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover London (9 miles north-west), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles north-west), St Pancras (11 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Widmore
We work in homes and buildings around Bird In Hand Public House, St George's and Jubilee Country Park, among other places. There’s a railway station in Widmore itself: Bickley station. A little further out are Bridgeways Day Hospital (1 mile south) and The Mall (1.3 miles west). Open spaces near Widmore include Summer Hill and The Tarn.
Why it is worth a survey now in Widmore
Photos from a drone survey show how the roof looks today. Next time, you can compare and see what has moved or worn. It helps when you plan ahead. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left alone, that means wet timbers and plaster, which is a far bigger job than the roof fault itself.
Every price we give includes VAT. Our price is from £400, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking.
Why book us in Widmore
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Surveys seven days a week
- An independent view of the roof
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
See our cost guide and two real surveys.