Greater London · London and the South East
Electronic leak detection in Cowley, Greater London
Electronic leak detection to pinpoint holes in flat roof membranes for Cowley and the rest of Greater London. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Stains far from any visible defect
- Repairs that haven’t stopped the leak
- Water coming in under a flat roof
How electronic leak detection works in Cowley
ELD is a way of pinpointing breaches in a flat roof’s waterproofing membrane. It works with an electrical current which can only get through the membrane at a breach. That lets us locate holes that are too small to see so your roofer knows exactly where to repair. The results come in a report with photos. If you’ve noticed water coming in under a flat roof and leaks through a covered membrane, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
London has a lot of flat roofs: rear additions, dormers, roof terraces and the roofs of blocks and offices. They’re covered in felt, asphalt, EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass or single-ply membranes, each with its own weak points. In Cowley, as anywhere in London, the right approach depends on what the roof is made of. Many older flat roofs are felt or asphalt, and many newer ones EPDM rubber or GRP.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Cowley (UB8, UB7, UB10)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- Quoted for your roof
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What electronic leak detection doesn’t cover
It is a careful look at the flat roof membrane, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Fixing the holes we find
- Leaks from plumbing or windows
- Moisture spread under the membrane
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll suggest the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Green roofs
- Roof terraces and balconies
- Flat roof membranes
- Single-ply roofs
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Commercial flat roofs
What you can safely check yourself
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we check the roof.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
What happens on the day
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from each safe vantage point, take photographs as we go and make notes for the report. Most visits take a time that depends on the roof’s area and construction, which we’ll explain when we quote. In Cowley, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- First, you tell us about the roof build-up and where water is showing.
- We confirm whether the roof is suitable for electronic testing.
- The method depends on the membrane and what sits above and below it.
- The roof is tested and any breaches are located.
- You get a report showing where each breach is, for your roofer to repair.
Preparing for the visit
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
Your questions about electronic leak detection in Cowley
How do I find out if my home in Cowley is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Do you cover Cowley?
Yes. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and Cowley is part of that. Just call 07833 053749 or email us and tell us about the property.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Where it’s relevant to the survey and there is safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
Are you insured?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes, every report has them. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, which makes the report easy to follow.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
Different roofs, different checks
Green and ballasted roofs
Roofs with planting or ballast hide the membrane. Some methods can work through these layers but it depends on the layers.
Bituminous membranes
Bitumen roofs can often be tested electronically, depending on what’s below.
Why get it checked now?
ELD before paving, ballast or planting goes on is simpler. Covered roofs are harder to test. In Cowley, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Electronic leak detection is quoted for your roof, because the method depends on the roof.
Why us?
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- 20+ years’ experience
- Weekday and weekend surveys
See our cost guide or two real surveys.
Nearby places to Cowley
More services for Cowley
Before and after the survey
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Tell us about the membrane and build-up if you know it
- Clear flat roof outlets regularly
- Check trades protect the waterproofing
- Do not keep patching the same spot
Where the evidence points to walls, copings or rooflights, we’ll note it, so other causes can be checked.
Clear flat roof outlets regularly. Water that sits on the roof finds breaches faster.
Electronic leak detection around Cowley
Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. If your home in Cowley is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Next to the main roofs there is typically a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit. The wider area around Cowley has a long history of building, with Ickenham Hall about 2.9 miles north-east. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
For businesses in and around places such as The Chimes, a flat roof over a business is out of sight and out of mind until it leaks. Cowley is in London, so parking needs planning: let us know about parking bays, permits or a driveway as you book, as a space near the door cannot be promised. If you look after a building such as Cowley St Laurence CofE Primary School, a large flat roof with a good many outlets and rooflights has many places where a membrane can fail.
Cowley is about 2 miles south-west of Hillingdon, in Greater London. Bookings from Cowley are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Across Greater London, we cover Cowley and the places around it. You can also see our page for London.
Here we cover the UB8, UB7 and UB10 postcode area for electronic leak detection. If you need electronic leak detection at a property on Iver Lane, High Road and The Avenue or a nearby road, we can survey it. If you’re just outside Cowley, we cover Uxbridge (1 mile north), Yiewsley (1 mile south-east), Hillingdon (2 miles north-east), Thorney (2 miles south) and New Denham (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (14 miles east), Marylebone (14 miles east), Kensington (12 miles east), Hampstead (13 miles east), Ruislip (5 miles north-east) and Brompton (14 miles east).
Around Cowley
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Crown pub, Uxbridge High School and West Middlesex College, among other places. The nearest railway station is West Drayton station, about 1.3 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find British Airways Heritage Collection (0.7 miles north-west) and The Chimes (1.3 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Uxbridge Moor and Northala Fields.