Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Sawbridgeworth Electronic Leak Detection
A careful look at the flat roof membrane at your property in Sawbridgeworth, and put it all in a report with photographs.
- Water coming in under a flat roof
- Gaps at membrane joints
- Breaches hidden under paving or planting
How the survey changes by roof type
Inverted and paved roofs
A terrace or paved roof hides the waterproofing. Suitability depends on the layers.
Green and ballasted roofs
Parts of the covering may have to come up. We discuss this before quoting.
Electronic leak detection in Sawbridgeworth: what you get
Electronic leak detection, or ELD, finds holes in flat roof waterproofing membranes. It works with an electrical current that passes through the membrane only where there’s a breach. It can find holes too small to spot by eye, so your roofer can repair them. The results come in a report with photos. We survey single-ply roofs, green roofs and roof terraces and balconies, and the problems we are asked to look at most are new membranes needing a check before handover and water coming in under a flat roof.
Flat roofs in smaller places like Sawbridgeworth can be more exposed, especially where nothing shelters them, where wind can catch loose edges and trims. Sun on a flat roof also ages felt and bitumen. Splits, blisters and lifting edges are what to look out for. Standing water that lingers for days after rain is another sign worth watching for.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the flat roof membrane, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Sawbridgeworth (CM21, CM22)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- Quoted for your roof
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- The extent of water in the insulation
- Parts of the roof covered by fixed equipment
- Some conductive membranes
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Green roofs
- Commercial flat roofs
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Flat roof membranes
- Roof terraces and balconies
- Single-ply roofs
Questions from Sawbridgeworth
Will you come out to Sawbridgeworth?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is my home in Sawbridgeworth listed or in a conservation area?
We can’t 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.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
What happens after the survey?
You’ll receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Before and after the survey
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Stay off the flat roof unless needed
- Make sure trades protect the waterproofing
- Check new waterproofing before handover
- Record dates and spots where water appears
If anything in the report is not clear, ask us. We can talk you through the findings.
Limit foot traffic on flat roofs. Many breaches come from foot traffic.
Also near Sawbridgeworth
What else we do in Sawbridgeworth
Local flat roofs in Sawbridgeworth
The wider area around Sawbridgeworth has a long history of building, with Much Hadham Palace about 4.4 miles north-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Flat roofs fill the gaps in between, on extensions, garages, dormers and business premises.
Take an older house close to Sawbridgeworth Congregational Church: the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof. Landlords with a home close to Sawbridgeworth station may find that flat roofs on let property tend to be checked only when they fail, which is the costly way round. If you look after a building such as Fawbert and Barnard Infants' School, a large flat roof with a good many outlets and rooflights has many places where a membrane can fail.
Sawbridgeworth is about 3 miles north-east of Harlow, in Hertfordshire. Bookings from Sawbridgeworth are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Our Hertfordshire coverage includes Sawbridgeworth. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
We work across CM21 and CM22 for electronic leak detection. If you need electronic leak detection at a property on London Road, Station Road and Maylins Drive or a nearby road, we can survey it. Sawbridgeworth is on the A1184, so it is easy for us to get to. Other places close to Sawbridgeworth include Lower Sheering (1 mile east), High Wych (1 mile west), Sheering (2 miles east), Spellbrook (2 miles north) and Gaston Green (2 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Bishop's Stortford (4 miles north), Welwyn Garden City (15 miles west), Hoddesdon (8 miles south-west), Cheshunt (11 miles south-west), Hertford (10 miles west) and Ware (8 miles west).
Local landmarks in Sawbridgeworth
Typical jobs here are in homes near Leventhorpe, Gibberd Garden and White Lion Hotel and the streets around them. The closest station to Sawbridgeworth is Sawbridgeworth station, about 0.7 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Harlow Mill (1.6 miles south-west) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (3.7 miles south-west). Not far away are Sawbridgeworth Marsh and Portingbury Hills.
What a survey costs
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- House, block, shop or office
- The roof’s overall size
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details. We will confirm the figure before booking.
Helping us price your survey
We’ll normally ask about:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
We confirm the exact price before booking, so you know the cost up front. We quote electronic leak detection for each roof, as the method and time depend on the roof. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
How the survey works
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we will take it from there. A typical survey takes longer on a large roof than a small one, and the build-up of the roof makes a difference too. Homes around Sawbridgeworth often have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Mention any side of the property we can’t get to. Inside, the loft is looked at where it can be reached safely.
- We agree the area to be tested.
- We get the roof ready for testing.
- We work across the roof with the test equipment.
- We mark the breach locations in our records.
- The report is sent for your roofer to act on.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
Booking a survey
If you’re buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you’re ready.
Advice
For landlords and managing agents
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.