Greater London · London and the South East
Flat roof survey in Balham, Greater London
Not sure what state the flat roof is in? You can book a flat roof survey in Balham and across Greater London, with plain-English findings.
- Gaps at upstands and abutments
- Standing water left after rain
- Damaged trims at the roof edge
Flat roof survey in Balham
A flat roof survey looks at the covering, the edges, the outlets and the details where the roof meets walls and rooflights. Felt, asphalt, EPDM, GRP and single-ply PVC or TPO roofs are all part of the work. We survey extension, garage and dormer roofs as well as bigger roofs on flats, offices and units. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. We survey mastic asphalt, upstands and outlets and single-ply membranes, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are damaged trims at the roof edge and outlets that hold water back.
Offices, shops and blocks of flats across London often have large flat roofs with plant, rooflights and walkways. Each pipe, upstand and fixing through the covering is a possible weak point. For a building in Balham, access is agreed with whoever manages the roof ahead of the visit. Rooflights, plant supports and pipe entries are common places for a membrane to fail.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Place
- Balham (SW12, SW17, SW4)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about flat roof surveys in Balham
How do I find out if my home in Balham is listed?
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.
Is Balham in the area you cover?
Yes, Balham is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Balham as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Can you find where water is getting through my flat roof?
Our survey looks across the whole roof, not only above the stain. Every split, lap, upstand, outlet and rooflight we can see is checked. If the cause cannot be seen, we will say so and suggest what would help.
How much is a survey?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before you book. To get a price, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
What does ponding on a flat roof mean?
Ponding is worth looking into. It frequently means a blocked outlet, poor falls or a dipping deck, and water that sits wears the covering sooner. Our survey notes the ponding and what seems to be causing it.
Does the survey cover asbestos?
We do not carry out asbestos surveys. Older buildings, from before 2000, may have asbestos in cement sheets or soffits. We note anything that could contain it, and a specialist asbestos surveyor should check it before it’s disturbed.
Does a flat roof survey replace a RICS survey?
No. Our survey covers the flat roof only. It isn’t a RICS Level 2 or 3 survey of the whole building, and it is not a structural engineer’s report. Many buyers use it alongside a building survey.
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we look at:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Helping us price your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- What’s prompted the survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Flat and commercial roofs around Balham
Many homes in inner London are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often with Welsh slate roofs. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Flat roofs fill the gaps in between, on extensions, garages, dormers and business premises. About 2.9 miles north lies Carlyle's House, a reminder of how long the area around Balham has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St Mary, the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof. For businesses in and around places like Southside Wandsworth, a flat roof over a business is out of sight and out of mind until it leaks.
Balham is about 2 miles south-west of Stockwell, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Balham can all book flat roof surveys. Our area takes in places right across Greater London.
Postcode districts we cover here for flat roof surveys: SW12, SW17 and SW4. We offer flat roof surveys to properties on Lynn Road, Weir Road and Byrne Road and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for flat roof surveys include Grange Mills (1 mile north-east), Hyde farm estate (1 mile east), Clapham Park (1 mile north-east), Streatham Park (1 mile south-east) and Tooting Bec (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include London (5 miles north-east), City of Westminster (5 miles north), Marylebone (5 miles north), Kensington (4 miles north-west), St Pancras (6 miles north) and Shoreditch (7 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Balham
Typical jobs here are in homes near Oak Lodge School, Wandsworth Common and The Bedford pub, among other places. There’s a railway station in Balham itself: Balham station. A little further out are St James' Hospital (0.5 miles west) and London Sewing Machine Museum (0.6 miles south-west). Open spaces near Balham include Knight's Hill and Battersea Park Lake.
How it works
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you need to know. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where it applies. The survey usually takes between one and two hours for a small flat roof at home, and longer for a large commercial one. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- First you give us the address, what the roof covers and any leaks you’ve noticed.
- The roof is inspected from safe viewpoints, and from the roof itself where that’s safe.
- Every part of the roof we can see is checked: covering, falls, upstands, outlets, trims and rooflights.
- Inside, we look for damp and staining under the roof where there is access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects we found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
How to book
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Also in Balham
Leave it or get it looked at?
Waiting for a stain inside means the water has already got through the layers. We can pick up worn covering and failing details sooner, while there’s still time to plan the work. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. By the time a ceiling stains, the timbers underneath may have been wet for a while.
For a price for your roof in Balham, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What you get with us
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Package prices that include VAT
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
Take a look at our cost guide or our case studies.
Checking the roof from ground level
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground.
How the survey changes by roof type
GRP fibreglass
A well-laid GRP roof often lasts up to about 30 years. Cracking where boards meet or where the deck moves is a common early sign of trouble.
Single-ply membranes
Single-ply relies on its welded laps staying sound. We look at seams, corners and the joints around outlets and upstands.
When to book a survey in Balham
Water that doesn’t drain sits on the roof and speeds up wear. It usually comes from poor falls, a blocked outlet or a deck that has dipped. Leaves and silt from nearby trees can soon choke an outlet.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Standing water left after rain
- Edge trims that have lifted or split
- A sagging deck under the covering
- Blistering in felt or asphalt
If you let a flat or house near Balham station, flat roofs on let property tend to be checked only when they fail, which is the costly way round.
What to check before booking
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection