Greater London · London and the South East
Flat roof survey in Farnborough, Greater London
Find out the condition of the flat roof at your property in Farnborough from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Signs of deflection in the roof deck
- Cracked or split membrane
- Pools of water lying on the roof
Flat roof survey in Farnborough
A flat roof leak frequently travels before it shows on the ceiling. It may start at a split, a lifted seam or a failed upstand well away from the damp patch. That’s why we check every detail across the roof, not only the area above the stain, and photograph anything that could let water in. A roofer can then start from a clear picture of the problem. We’re often asked to look into dips that suggest the deck is deflecting and blistering in felt or asphalt, on felt flat roofs, upstands and outlets and mastic asphalt.
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 Farnborough, 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 Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Farnborough (BR6)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Why get it checked now?
By the time a flat roof leak shows indoors, water has already passed through the roof build-up. A survey can find worn areas and failing details before that point, while there’s still time to plan the work. London’s older roofs frequently have bitumen felt underlay or none at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Flat roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Farnborough
- A written report with photos
- Package prices that include VAT
- Visits on any day of the week
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
FAQs for Farnborough
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Farnborough?
It can be, so it helps to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Is my home in Farnborough listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
What does the report include?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos. The most urgent items are made clear.
How long will you be at the property?
Expect it to take between one and two hours for an extension, garage or dormer roof, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial flat roof. You will then get the report by email.
Will you walk on the flat roof?
It depends on what’s safe: the roof itself where that’s safe, plus windows, vantage points and the rooms below. We never walk on fragile rooflights or sheeting.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Flat roof surveys in Farnborough: local notes
The wider area around Farnborough has a long history of building, with Down House about 2.1 miles south-west. 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. In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. Mixed in with those pitched roofs are a good many flat ones, over rear extensions, dormers, garages and shops.
If you let a flat or house near Orpington station, flat roofs over rear additions and dormers in rented property are worth checking between tenancies. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near The Mall, flat roofs over shops and units are easy to forget until water comes through a ceiling. The streets around a church such as Church of St Giles the Abbot are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, flat-roofed rear additions and dormers added over the years are worth checking.
Farnborough is about 2 miles south-west of Orpington, in Greater London. Roofs in Farnborough get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. Farnborough is one of the places in Greater London where we work. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Flat roof surveys in BR6 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Tye Lane, Peel Road and Pitt Road or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside Farnborough, we cover Green Street Green (1 mile south-east), Locksbottom (1 mile north-west), Crofton (1 mile north), Farthing Street (1 mile south-west) and Downe (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (12 miles north-west), City of Westminster (15 miles north-west), Marylebone (15 miles north-west), Kensington (15 miles north-west), St Pancras (14 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (13 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Farnborough
Typical jobs here are in homes near Newstead Wood School, South Park and The Buff pub. For rail, the closest station is Orpington station, about 1.2 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Orpington Hospital (0.9 miles east) and Crofton Roman Villa (1.1 miles north-east). Open spaces near Farnborough include Downe Bank Nature Reserve and Summer Hill.
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- File the paperwork for the roof and any repairs
- Limit foot traffic on the covering
- Ask whoever fits equipment on the roof to make good the covering
- Book a survey every few years
You can use the report to ask roofers to quote for the same work. With each roofer working from the same list, comparing quotes is simpler. You stay in control of who does the work and when.
Get splits, lifted seams and loose trims seen to while they’re small. A flat roof that is looked after between surveys normally lasts longer.
Roof by roof
Single-ply membranes
Single-ply membranes can be damaged by foot traffic and equipment on the roof. Any tears, punctures or loose membrane are recorded with photos.
Mastic asphalt
Mastic asphalt is a heavy, seamless covering frequently found on older blocks, balconies and commercial roofs. We look for crazing, cracks, blisters and splits at the skirtings.
What happens on the day
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, like when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes an hour or two for most houses, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In a London area like Farnborough, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with the address and, on larger roofs, the roof area and access.
- We check the rooms or spaces under the roof for staining where there’s access.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, without walking on fragile surfaces.
- Each defect is photographed and its likely cause noted.
- You get a report setting out the condition and our recommendations, in order of urgency.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Getting a price
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
For landlords and managing agents
Landlords and letting agents in Farnborough book surveys as well as householders. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the flat roof.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
When you need someone else
A survey is a proper look at the flat roof, but it cannot do everything. The main limits are:
- Whether the deck or joists are strong enough
- A fixed date for when the roof will need replacing
- Hidden layers beneath the covering
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- EPDM rubber
- Felt flat roofs
- Upstands and outlets
- Single-ply membranes
- GRP fibreglass
- Mastic asphalt