Greater London · London and the South East
Electronic Leak Detection in Clerkenwell
Find out the condition of the flat roof membrane at your property in Clerkenwell. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Leaks through a flat roof with no obvious cause
- Patched roofs that still leak
- Damp inside with no sign on the roof
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Do not let outlets block
- Record dates and spots where water appears
- Do not keep patching the same spot
- Don’t leave water getting in
The report records each breach location with photos. Your roofer uses it to carry out repairs.
Ask trades working on the roof to protect the membrane when they work up there. Have the roof looked at after other work.
Electronic leak detection in Clerkenwell
We carry out electronic leak detection on flat roofs in Clerkenwell and across London and the South East. Testing usually takes more time on a big roof than a small one, and the build-up of the roof makes a difference too. Every roof is quoted on its size and build-up. You get a written report with photos. We survey flat roof membranes, green roofs and liquid-applied waterproofing, and people most often book us about waterproofing to test before it’s covered and leaks at pipes, outlets or fixings.
Offices, shops and blocks of flats across London frequently have large flat roofs with plant, rooflights and walkways. Each pipe, upstand and fixing through the covering is a possible weak point. For a building in Clerkenwell, access is agreed with whoever manages the roof ahead of the visit. Rooflights, plant supports and pipe entries are common places for a membrane to fail.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Clerkenwell (N1, EC1V, WC1X)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- Quoted for your roof
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about electronic leak detection in Clerkenwell
How do I find out if my home in Clerkenwell is listed?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Clerkenwell?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Let us know what parking is available nearby, and the visit is planned around it.
What do I do with the report?
You receive the written report by email, with photos and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
What’s in the report?
It explains what we saw, what it means and what we’d suggest, with photographs throughout. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
How it works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. A typical visit takes more time on a big roof than a small one, and the build-up of the roof makes a difference too. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is frequently on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Clerkenwell runs like any other.
- First, you tell us about the roof build-up and where water is showing.
- The roof is assessed to see if electronic testing will work on it.
- We pick the low-voltage or high-voltage method that suits the roof.
- The roof is tested and any breaches are located.
- You get a report showing where each breach is, for your roofer to repair.
Before the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Booking a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
What this survey can’t tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- Areas we cannot reach or that can’t be tested
- Moisture spread under the membrane
- Roofs whose membrane or build-up isn’t suitable
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Commercial flat roofs
- Flat roof membranes
- Single-ply roofs
- Green roofs
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Roof terraces and balconies
Should I look at the roof myself first?
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Electronic leak detection in Clerkenwell: local notes
About 0.8 miles south lies Dr Johnson's House, a reminder of how long the area around Clerkenwell has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that cannot be seen from the pavement. If your home in Clerkenwell is one of them, lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are part of the picture too. Next to the main roofs there’s typically a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School, ponding and blocked outlets on a wide flat roof are worth catching before the next wet season. The streets around a church such as St James's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof.
Clerkenwell is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. If you are in Clerkenwell, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Greater London.
Surveys in N1, EC1V and WC1X work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Long Lane, City Road and Noel Road or a nearby road, we can help. You will find Clerkenwell on the A1 and A5201, which makes it straightforward to reach. Other places close to Clerkenwell include Farringdon (1 mile south), Angel (1 mile north), Smithfield (1 mile south), Holborn (1 mile south-west) and St Pancras (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (5 miles south-west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (4 miles south).
What’s near Clerkenwell
We work in homes and buildings around Barts Health Archives, The Sekforde pub and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, among other places. Also close by are Tech City College (within half a mile north-east) and King Square Gardens (within half a mile north-east). Clerkenwell has its own railway station: Farringdon station. A little further out are Brunswick Centre (0.9 miles west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.9 miles south). Not far away are St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Roof by roof
Green and ballasted roofs
Green roofs and ballasted roofs cover the waterproofing. Some methods can work through these layers but it depends on the layers.
Liquid-applied waterproofing
Pinholes in a coating can let water through. Where the roof suits it, testing can find them.
Nearby places to Clerkenwell
What else we do in Clerkenwell
What we’re asked to look at in Clerkenwell
New membranes can have defects from installation. Testing before the roof is covered or handed over helps find them.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Damage from equipment installers
- Leaks showing away from the breach
- Gaps at membrane joints
- Leaks under green or ballasted roofs
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Brunswick Centre, outlets and upstands on commercial flat roofs are the places to check before trouble starts.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How soon the report will arrive
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance