Greater London · London and the South East
St James's Electronic Leak Detection
Electronic leak detection to pinpoint holes in flat roof membranes in St James's, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- New membranes needing a check before handover
- Leaks at pipes, outlets or fixings
- Gaps at membrane joints
Electronic leak detection in St James's: local notes
Within a mile and a half or so of St James's there are several hotels, and like offices and blocks, hotels often sit under flat roofs. If you look after one, a leak through a flat roof can put a room out of use. About 0.3 miles south-west lies Marlborough House, a reminder of how long the area around St James's has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Shop and office owners around Kingly Court may find that flat roofs over shops and units are easy to forget until water comes through a ceiling. If you look after a building like Soho Parish CofE Primary School, large flat roofs, common on schools and other public buildings, need their outlets, upstands and coverings checked regularly.
St James's is about 1 mile south-east of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Wherever you are in St James's, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. St James's is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work for electronic leak detection.
All of W1F, W1D and W1J is within our area for electronic leak detection, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on Duck Lane, Bruton Lane and Bridle Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Main roads around St James's include the A4 and A400, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around St James's: Chinatown (1 mile north), Charing Cross (1 mile east), Soho (1 mile north), West End (1 mile north-east) and Burlington Estate (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns such as Kensington (3 miles west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east) and Hampstead (4 miles north-west).
What’s near St James's
Typical jobs here are in homes near LITE Regal International School, Tom Cribb pub and London Library. You will also find Harris Westminster Sixth Form (0.6 miles south) and St Anne's Churchyard (less than half a mile north). St James's has its own railway station: London Charing Cross station. Other landmarks nearby include The Museum of Practical Geology (within half a mile north-west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.4 miles east). The countryside around St James's includes St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Electronic leak detection in St James's
A leak in a flat roof frequently shows up a long way from where the water gets in. That makes leaks hard to trace by eye. ELD tests the waterproofing directly and locates the breach. We test and report and leave the repair to your roofer. On suitable roofs, it replaces guesswork with a located breach. We then send you the results in a written report. If you’re worried about leaks through a covered membrane and new roofs to check before paving or planting, 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. Coverings range from felt and asphalt to EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and single-ply membranes, and each fails in its own way. Which one is on a roof in St James's shapes how it’s checked. Many older flat roofs are felt or asphalt, and many newer ones EPDM rubber or GRP.
It isn’t only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Where
- St James's (W1F, W1D, W1J)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- Quoted for your roof
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from St James's
Can you look at the flat roof of a hotel or office near St James's?
Yes, we cover commercial roofs as well as homes. Access to the roof is sorted out with whoever manages the building before the day.
Is my home in St James's listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
Is St James's in your area?
Yes. We cover St James's and the rest of Greater London. To book, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
What’s the best way to book?
It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. Tell us the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll take it from there. Surveys run seven days a week.
Towns and villages near St James's
Other services in St James's
What happens if roof problems are left?
Chasing a leak again and again is frustrating. A clear record of where the breaches are helps break that cycle. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork. A blocked outlet ignored for a winter or two can mean damp walls inside.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the roof. We will confirm the figure before booking.
What you get with us
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Visits on any day of the week
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
What we’re asked to look at in St James's
Repeated leaks after repairs suggest the real breach hasn’t been found. Electronic testing helps pinpoint it.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Patched roofs that still leak
- Breaches around outlets and penetrations
- Leaks under green or ballasted roofs
- Gaps at membrane joints
For landlords with property near London Charing Cross station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
What to check before booking
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
What we cannot see
It’s a careful look at the flat roof membrane, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Some conductive membranes
- Repairing the breaches (that is for your roofer)
- How wet the insulation is
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Green roofs
- Single-ply roofs
- Roof terraces and balconies
- Commercial flat roofs
- Flat roof membranes
What affects the cost of electronic leak detection
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. The main factors are:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. We quote electronic leak detection for each roof, as the method and time depend on the roof.
Booking your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
How it works
We look at the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there is safe access, from inside the loft space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. The whole visit usually takes a time that depends on the size of the roof and how it’s built, and we’ll give you a guide when quoting. In a London conversion, the way into the loft space is frequently from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- First, you let us know about the roof build-up and where water is showing.
- We confirm whether the roof is suitable for electronic testing.
- We pick the low-voltage or high-voltage method that suits the roof.
- The roof is tested and any breaches are located.
- We send a report with photos of each breach so your roofer can repair it.
Getting ready for the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Arrange a survey
If you’re buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you are ready.
Related advice
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps when budgeting.
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the survey around it.