Greater London · London and the South East
Custom House Electronic Leak Detection
We take a careful look at the flat roof membrane at your property in Custom House, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Stains far from any visible defect
- Breaches hidden under paving or planting
- Water coming in under a flat roof
FAQs for Custom House
Do you cover commercial flat roofs around Custom House?
Yes, commercial buildings, hotels included, are part of the work. Roof access is agreed with the building manager or owner beforehand.
How do I find out if my home in Custom House is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. The roof space can show things the outside cannot, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we will explain what’s needed.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access as you book.
What if it rains on the day?
It can, depending on the survey. Drones can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. If the conditions are not right, we will talk to you about another date.
How do you choose the testing method?
It depends on the membrane and the build-up. Low-voltage methods are normally carried out on a wet roof, while high-voltage testing needs a dry, exposed membrane.
How electronic leak detection works in Custom House
There are different ELD methods. Low-voltage testing is typically done with the surface wet, while high-voltage testing needs a dry, exposed membrane. The right method depends on the membrane and the build-up of the roof and we explain which we will use. If neither method suits your roof, we will tell you at the outset. Common reasons to book are leaks that return after repairs and damage from equipment installers, on single-ply roofs, green roofs and flat roof membranes.
Across London, flat roofs are everywhere, from back additions and dormers to roof terraces, blocks of flats and offices. They’re covered in felt, asphalt, EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass or single-ply membranes, and each fails in its own way. Which one is on a roof in Custom House shapes how it’s checked. Older flat roofs are often felt or asphalt, newer ones rubber or GRP.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Where
- Custom House (E16, E13)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- Quoted for your roof
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a photo-illustrated written report. On timing, it normally takes a time that depends on the roof’s area and construction, which we’ll explain when we quote. For a visit in Custom House, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at what can safely be seen from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it is safe, the roof itself.
- We ask about the roof, its age, its membrane and where leaks appear inside.
- We check that the membrane and build-up suit electronic leak detection.
- The testing method is chosen to suit the membrane and build-up.
- Testing runs across the roof to locate breaches in the membrane.
- You get a report showing where each breach is, for your roofer to repair.
Getting ready for the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Book a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Related advice
What this survey can’t tell you
A survey is a proper look at the flat roof membrane, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Parts of the roof covered by fixed equipment
- Carrying out the repair work
- Some conductive membranes
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll suggest the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Custom House
- Green roofs
- Roof terraces and balconies
- Single-ply roofs
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Flat roof membranes
- Commercial flat roofs
Common roof problems in Custom House
On a flat roof, water spreads under the waterproofing. The stain inside can be far from the hole, so tracing it by eye is difficult.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Leaks showing away from the breach
- Breaches around outlets and penetrations
- Gaps at membrane joints
- Leaks under green or ballasted roofs
Queen's House lies about 2.3 miles south-west, so building around Custom House goes back a long way. Older homes nearby may have later flat-roofed extensions or dormers, often re-covered more than once.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- How soon the report will arrive
What we look for on each type of roof
Single-ply membranes
Some single-ply membranes suit electronic testing well, depending on the type and build-up.
EPDM rubber roofs
Certain rubber membranes are conductive which can limit electronic testing. We’ll say if the test will not work.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Custom House
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with the building owner or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Electronic leak detection in Custom House: local notes
Custom House has a number of hotels within about a mile and a half, and hotels, like offices and blocks of flats, often have flat roofs. For hotels and other commercial buildings, finding the cause of a flat roof leak quickly keeps rooms in use. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Flat roofs on extensions, dormers, garages and business units are found alongside them almost everywhere.
If you live in an older home near St Matthew's Church, the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof. Shop and office owners around Gallions Reach Shopping Park may find that outlets and upstands on commercial flat roofs are the places to check before trouble starts.
Custom House is about 1 mile south of Canning Town, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Custom House and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages.
We cover every part of E16 and E13 for electronic leak detection and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Tree Road, Ethel Road and Booth Road and the roads around them. Main roads around Custom House include the A1020, so getting to you is simple. Close by, we survey roofs in West Silvertown (1 mile south-west), Silvertown (1 mile south), Canning Town (1 mile north), Royal Docks (1 mile east) and Limmo Peninsula (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (5 miles west), City of Westminster (8 miles west), Marylebone (8 miles west), Kensington (10 miles west), St Pancras (6 miles west) and Shoreditch (5 miles west).
What’s near Custom House
In Custom House, that means homes and buildings near Thames Barrier Park, The Royal Docks Community School and Royal Docks Academy. There is a railway station in Custom House itself: Custom House station. A little further out are Gallions Reach Shopping Park (2.2 miles east) and Charlton Athletic Museum (1.5 miles south). Not far away are Gilbert's Pit and Tower Hill.
DIY checks: what’s safe
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.