Greater London · London and the South East
East Barnet Flat Roof Survey
Find out the condition of the flat roof at your property in East Barnet. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Cracked or split membrane
- Upstands pulling away from walls
- Failed seals around rooflight kerbs
Flat roof survey in East Barnet: what you get
Buying a home with a flat-roofed extension, dormer or garage? It is useful to know that roof’s condition before you exchange. Felt roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, while EPDM and GRP often last longer. We set out the type of covering, its condition and the defects we found, with a photo of every defect. You then have something specific to put to the seller or agent. Common reasons to book are signs of deflection in the roof deck and blistering in felt or asphalt, across mastic asphalt, EPDM rubber and GRP fibreglass.
Offices, shops and blocks of flats across London frequently have large flat roofs with plant, rooflights and walkways. Each pipe, upstand and fixing through the covering is a possible weak point. In East Barnet, roof access is agreed with the building manager or owner beforehand. Rooflights, plant supports and pipe entries are common places for a membrane to fail.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the flat roof, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Place
- East Barnet (N20, EN4, N14)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
It’s a careful look at the flat roof, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Whether old sheeting or boards contain asbestos
- The condition of the deck or insulation hidden under the covering
- A fixed date for when the roof will need replacing
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- GRP fibreglass
- Upstands and outlets
- Single-ply membranes
- EPDM rubber
- Felt flat roofs
- Mastic asphalt
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Keep clear of rooflights and fragile roof sheets
- Plan a survey before the covering reaches the end of its usual life
- Clear roof outlets and gutters each autumn
- Note the date and type of any roof work
You get the report by email and can pass it to a roofer, your solicitor, the seller or your managing agent. It is written in plain English, with a photo of each defect, so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Keep foot traffic on a flat roof to a minimum. If access is needed, boards or walkways help protect the covering, and to keep well clear of rooflights and fragile sheeting.
When to book a survey in East Barnet
Water that doesn’t drain sits on the roof and speeds up wear. It typically comes from poor falls, a blocked outlet or a deck that has dipped. Leaves and silt from nearby trees can soon choke an outlet.
We’re often asked to look at:
- Cracked or split membrane
- Blisters and bubbles in the covering
- Damaged trims at the roof edge
- Outlets choked with leaves and silt
If you let a flat or house near Oakleigh Park station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
Surveys for landlords and agents in East Barnet
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Tell us about it as you book and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Common questions in East Barnet
How do I find out if my home in East Barnet is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. 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.
Do you cover East Barnet?
Yes, East Barnet is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
Do you give a life expectancy for the roof?
We don’t put a figure on it. As a guide, felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM often 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30, but the report tells you how your roof is really doing.
Does a flat roof survey replace a RICS survey?
No. It’s a closer look at the flat roof, not a survey of the whole property. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one, and structural calculations need a structural engineer.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Our survey isn’t a structural engineer’s report, and it doesn’t include calculations. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Will you walk on the flat roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. Otherwise we use windows, vantage points and the spaces below, and the report says if any part couldn’t be seen. We do not walk on fragile rooflights or sheeting.
Does the report include photos?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That is where a survey comes in.
Places near East Barnet
More services for East Barnet
What a flat roof survey looks like in East Barnet
Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. If your home in East Barnet is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Mixed in with those pitched roofs are a good many flat ones, over rear extensions, dormers, garages and shops. About 4.2 miles south lies Heath Hall, a reminder of how long the area around East Barnet has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Mary the Virgin, any flat roof added at the back or on a dormer is likely to be far younger, and less durable, than the main roof. Parking in East Barnet, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier.
East Barnet is about 1 mile north-east of Whetstone, in Greater London. We cover East Barnet and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. East Barnet is one of the places in Greater London we cover. We also survey roofs in London.
Flat roof surveys in N20, EN4 and N14 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on Dene Road, Pine Road and Capel Road. Nearby, we also carry out flat roof surveys in Osidge (1 mile east), Brunswick Park (1 mile south-east), New Barnet (1 mile north-west), Whetstone (1 mile south-west) and Oakleigh Park (1 mile south-west). Further out, we also cover London (10 miles south), City of Westminster (8 miles south), Marylebone (8 miles south), Kensington (10 miles south), St Pancras (8 miles south) and Shoreditch (8 miles south-east).
Landmarks near East Barnet
In East Barnet, that means homes and buildings near Oak Hill Park, Salcombe School and East Barnet School, among other places. Nearby too are The Cavalier pub (under half a mile south) and Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum (1.8 miles south-west). For rail, the closest station is Oakleigh Park station, roughly 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Grand Arcade (1.7 miles south-west) and Finchley Memorial Hospital (2.2 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Oakleigh Park Rail Cutting and Darland's Lake.
What happens on the day
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings as a written report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, it usually takes an hour or two for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the loft space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that’s the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Otherwise, the visit in East Barnet runs like any other.
- We start with the address and, on larger roofs, the roof area and access.
- Inside, we look for signs of water under the roof where we can reach.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, without walking on fragile surfaces.
- Each defect is photographed and its likely cause noted.
- The report explains the condition and recommends what to do first.
How to prepare
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Booking a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.