Greater London · London and the South East
Electronic leak detection in St Luke's, Greater London
Get a clear view of the flat roof membrane at a property in St Luke's. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Water coming in under a flat roof
- New roofs to check before paving or planting
- Breaches hidden under paving or planting
Different roofs, different checks
Single-ply membranes
Single-ply membranes are common on commercial and newer roofs. Laps and fixings are where holes often appear.
Green and ballasted roofs
Roofs with planting or ballast hide the membrane. Testing may still be possible, depending on the build-up.
How electronic leak detection works in St Luke's
ELD can be carried out in more than one way. Low-voltage methods normally need a wet roof surface and high-voltage methods need the membrane dry and exposed. Which one suits depends on the membrane and the layers of the roof, and we will explain our choice. If neither method suits your roof, we’ll tell you at the outset. We survey liquid-applied waterproofing, roof terraces and balconies and single-ply roofs, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are new membranes needing a check before handover and a flat roof leak that can’t be traced.
Across London, flat roofs are everywhere, from back additions and dormers to roof terraces, blocks of flats and offices. Coverings range from felt and asphalt to EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and single-ply membranes, each with its own weak points. In St Luke's, 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.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- St Luke's (N1, EC1V, EC2A)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- Quoted for your roof
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
A lot can be seen from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
Common questions in St Luke's
Is my home in St Luke'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. 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.
Is parking a problem for a survey in St Luke's?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day run more smoothly, so mention what’s available when you book.
What does electronic leak detection do?
ELD passes a small electrical current across the roof to locate holes in the membrane. A breach lets the current through so we can pinpoint it.
How long will testing take?
Testing usually takes more time on a big roof than a small one, with the construction of the roof playing a part too.
How do I book a survey in St Luke's?
It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or email us. Give us the address and a few details about the roof. We survey seven days a week.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If the survey needs it and the loft space can be reached safely, yes. A clear path to the hatch helps, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Why get it checked now?
Opening up a roof to hunt for a leak is disruptive. Electronic testing finds the hole first, so the repair can be targeted. In St Luke's, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: a blocked parapet gutter or slipped slate can let water into the flat below or the house next door. Finding it early keeps the work smaller.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
What you get with us
- Photos and a written report every time
- Surveys seven days a week
- An independent view of the roof
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
Signs you need electronic leak detection in St Luke's
Water travels under flat roof membranes. The leak may show some distance from where water gets in which makes it hard to find by looking.
People typically book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Leaks that return after repairs
- Leaks under green or ballasted roofs
- Leaks at pipes, outlets or fixings
- Failed seams and laps
If you let a flat or house near Old Street station, a flat roof over a rented flat is easy to forget until the tenant reports a leak.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Which limits apply to the survey
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- How long the report takes to arrive
Useful tips for St Luke's property owners
Getting the most from electronic leak detection starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Test new membranes before covering them
- Keep a note of leaks after rain
- Stay off the flat roof unless needed
- Don’t keep patching the same spot
File the report with your roof paperwork. It shows the condition of the membrane on that date.
Clear flat roof outlets regularly. Water that sits on the roof finds breaches faster.
How the survey works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It usually takes longer on a large roof than a small one, and the build-up of the roof makes a difference too. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so in St Luke's we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Tell us who holds the keys.
- We start with what you know about the roof and the leak.
- The roof is assessed for suitability first.
- We choose a low-voltage or high-voltage method to match the roof.
- The membrane is tested and breaches are found.
- You get a report with photos of each breach.
Before we arrive
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or send us an email, tell us about the property and we will point you to the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Towns and villages near St Luke's
What else we do in St Luke's
Flat roofs in St Luke's
The wider area around St Luke's has a long history of building, with Mansion House about 0.8 miles south. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Mixed in with those pitched roofs are lots of flat ones, over rear extensions, dormers, garages and shops.
If you run a hotel or guest house in or near St Luke's, a roof problem can mean rooms out of use. For an older house near a landmark such as Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Chapel, later flat-roofed additions are common on older houses, and their edges and upstands frequently show the first signs of wear.
St Luke's is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. We carry out electronic leak detection for householders, landlords and businesses in St Luke's and the surrounding area. Across Greater London, we cover St Luke's and the places around it.
We work across N1, EC1V and EC2A for electronic leak detection and the streets around it. We cover properties on Long Lane, City Road and Moor Lane. Main roads around St Luke's include the A1 and A501. If you’re just outside St Luke's, we cover Finsbury (1 mile south), Barbican Estate (1 mile south), Shoreditch (1 mile east), Hoxton (1 mile north-east) and City of London (1 mile south). Within a short drive, we also cover City of Westminster (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west) and Brompton (4 miles south-west).
What’s near St Luke's
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Barts Health Archives, Charterhouse Square School and The Masque Haunt pub and the streets around them. Also close by are St Mary-at-Hill (1.1 miles south), Central Foundation Boys' School (under half a mile east) and Artillery Ground (less than half a mile south-east). There is a railway station in St Luke's itself: Old Street station. A little further out are Gabriel's Wharf (1.3 miles south-west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.9 miles south-west). For a walk, there is St. James's Park Lake and Barnsbury Wood.