Greater London · London and the South East
Flat roof survey in Barnes, Greater London
Flat roof surveys for homes and businesses in Barnes. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Water getting in at rooflights
- Standing water left after rain
- Dips that suggest the deck is deflecting
Useful tips for Barnes property owners
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Look for standing water a day after rain
- Plan a survey before the covering reaches the end of its usual life
- Note any new marks on ceilings beneath the roof
- Ask contractors to protect the roof if they work on it
Many people send the report to two or three roofers for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare. It’s your choice who carries out the work and when.
Get splits, lifted seams and loose trims seen to while they’re small. Prompt repairs tend to add years to a flat roof.
About our flat roof survey in Barnes
Every flat roof covering tends to fail in its own way. Built-up felt tends to blister and crack, asphalt crazes and splits, EPDM can lift at its laps, and GRP can crack at board joints and edge trims. On PVC and TPO single-ply roofs, we look closely at the welded laps, edges and fixings. Knowing what you have and how it is doing helps you plan what comes next. If you are worried about standing water left after rain and outlets choked with leaves and silt, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on EPDM rubber, mastic asphalt and single-ply membranes alike.
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. In Barnes, as anywhere in London, the right approach depends on what the roof is made of. Older flat roofs are frequently felt or asphalt, newer ones rubber or GRP.
If any part of the flat roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. You will know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Barnes (SW13, SW15, SW14)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a flat roof survey in Barnes
Water that does not 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:
- Dips that suggest the deck is deflecting
- Splits, cracks and crazing
- Ponding water that doesn’t drain away
- Raised blisters across the surface
The streets around a church like Barnes Methodist Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, the flat roofs on later extensions tend to wear out long before the main roof.
Questions to ask before you book
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What the survey will not cover
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- What exactly goes into their report
Questions from Barnes
Is Barnes in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Barnes as anywhere else.
How do I find out if my home in Barnes 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.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
Do you cover flat roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. We survey flat roofs on commercial buildings as well as homes. A commercial roof typically takes about 3 to 4 hours on site, longer if it’s large or complex, and larger roofs are quoted for their size.
How do you inspect a flat roof?
We inspect from wherever is safe: on the roof where it’s safe, and from windows, nearby vantage points and inside. Fragile rooflights and fragile sheets are never walked on.
What types of flat roof do you survey?
Felt, asphalt, EPDM, GRP and single-ply roofs are all covered. Not sure what yours is? We will tell you in the report.
Does a flat roof survey replace a RICS survey?
No. We look closely at the flat roof rather than the whole building. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it, and structural calculations need a structural engineer.
What we look for on each type of roof
EPDM rubber
An EPDM rubber roof is typically one large sheet, bonded to the deck. The survey looks at laps, edge trims, corners and signs of puncture.
Rooflights and upstands
Rooflights, lanterns and upstands are where many flat roof leaks begin. We check the seals and the covering around each one.
Flat roof surveys around Barnes
Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Barnes is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Next to the main roofs there is typically a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit. About 0.9 miles north-west lies Chiswick House, a reminder of how long the area around Barnes has been built on. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Parking in Barnes, as in most of London, takes a little planning: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book, as a space near the door cannot be promised. Take a building like St Osmund's Catholic Primary School: a large flat roof with a good many outlets and rooflights has many places where a membrane can fail.
Barnes is about 2 miles west of Fulham, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Barnes and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Across Greater London, we cover Barnes. You can also see our page for London.
Surveys in SW13, SW15 and SW14 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer flat roof surveys to properties on Church Road, Station Road and Barnes High Street. With the A306 and B349 close by, Barnes is simple for us to get to for flat roof surveys. If you are just outside Barnes, we cover Old Chiswick (1 mile north), Turnham Green (1 mile north-west), Mortlake (1 mile south-west), East Sheen (1 mile south-west) and Putney (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include London (7 miles east), City of Westminster (5 miles north-east), Marylebone (5 miles north-east), Kensington (3 miles north-east), St Pancras (7 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Barnes
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Chiswick School, Sun Inn and Barn Elms and the streets around them. You’ll also find Polish Library POSK in London (1.4 miles north) and The Harrodian School (0.6 miles north). Barnes has its own railway station: Barnes Bridge station. A little further out are Barnes Hospital (0.7 miles south-west) and Putney Exchange (1.4 miles south-east). Not far away are Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens Lake.
Towns and villages near Barnes
What else we do in Barnes
What we do, step by step
It’s useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. That way we can focus on what matters to you. The visit typically takes an hour or two for an extension, garage or dormer roof, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial flat roof. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so in Barnes 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 the details: the address, the roof’s use and any leaks or stains.
- We view the roof from ground level, from windows and from the roof where it is safe to do so.
- Every part of the roof we can see is looked at: covering, falls, upstands, outlets, trims and rooflights.
- We check the rooms or spaces under the roof for staining where we can reach them.
- You get a report with photographs and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- Keep pets in another room
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
For a price for flat roof surveys in Barnes, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. A few details about the property and the roof help us give you an accurate price.
Read more
When you need someone else
It helps to know what a survey will not do before booking:
- What’s under the membrane without opening it up
- An exact number of years the roof has left
- Asbestos testing, which needs a specialist asbestos surveyor
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- EPDM rubber
- Single-ply membranes
- Mastic asphalt
- Felt flat roofs
- Upstands and outlets
- GRP fibreglass
Why act early in Barnes
A survey can show whether a whole new roof is needed or whether the problems are in a few places. Sometimes a few details are to blame, and sometimes the covering has simply had its day. Our report gives you the evidence to discuss with a roofer. In Barnes, 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. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Barnes
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Surveys seven days a week
- A written report with photos