Essex · London and the South East
High Garrett Flat Roof Survey
Independent flat roof surveys in High Garrett. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Outlets choked with leaves and silt
- Dips that suggest the deck is deflecting
- Loose or cracked edge trims
Flat roof surveys for homes and businesses in High Garrett
Water through a flat roof doesn’t always come in where the stain is. It can run along the deck from a split, an open lap or a failed upstand some distance away. Our survey covers the whole roof, not just the part above the mark, and photograph anything that could let water in. Whoever carries out the work then has a clear starting point. We survey GRP fibreglass, EPDM rubber and felt flat roofs, and common reasons people get in touch are failed seals around rooflight kerbs and failed upstands where the roof meets a wall.
Some older homes in villages like High Garrett are listed or in a conservation area, which can shape what a new flat roof may look like. If you are planning work, check with the council first. Finding out what state the roof is in gives you the facts to plan with. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- High Garrett (CM7)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
High Garrett questions
Do you carry out roof surveys in High Garrett?
Yes, High Garrett is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you cover smaller places like High Garrett?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do you cover flat roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. We survey flat roofs on offices, shops, industrial units and blocks of flats. We quote bigger roofs on their size and how they’re reached, so phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
Should I worry about standing water on my flat roof?
Standing water on a flat roof deserves a closer look. It can point to blocked outlets, poor falls or a deck that is sagging, and it wears the covering faster. We record where it sits and the likely cause.
Does the survey cover asbestos?
We don’t test for asbestos. Where a roof has materials that might contain asbestos, like old cement sheeting, the report flags them so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check them.
Will you walk on the flat roof?
Where it’s safe, the roof is inspected from the roof itself. If not, we use safe viewpoints and look inside, and the report says if any part couldn’t be seen. We do not walk on fragile rooflights or sheeting.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
For landlords and managing agents
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Towns and villages near High Garrett
More services for High Garrett
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Book a survey every few years
- Limit foot traffic on the covering
- Check the outlets after the leaves fall
- Note the date and type of any roof work
Landlords, owners and managing agents can keep the report as a dated record of the roof. It’s useful when planning upkeep and setting budgets, and it makes changes easy to spot at the next survey.
Try not to let a flat roof become a walkway. Where someone does need access, ask them to use boards or a protected route, and remind them never to step on rooflights or fragile sheets.
Flat roof surveys around High Garrett
An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Alongside them, flat-roofed extensions, dormers, garages and commercial units are common almost everywhere.
Take a building like Bocking Church Street Primary School: large flat roofs, common on schools and other public buildings, need their outlets, upstands and coverings checked regularly.
High Garrett is about 2 miles north of Braintree, in Essex. High Garrett gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our Essex coverage includes High Garrett. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Every address in CM7 is within our area for flat roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on High Garrett, Grove Field and Sunnyfields Road. If you are just outside High Garrett, we cover Bocking Churchstreet (1 mile south-west), Gosfield (2 miles north), Beazley End (2 miles north-west), Church End (3 miles west) and Shalford (4 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns like Colchester (14 miles east), Chelmsford (13 miles south), Maldon (13 miles south), Witham (8 miles south), Camulodunum (13 miles east) and Halstead (3 miles north-east).
Around High Garrett
We work in homes and buildings around Tabor Academy and Bocking Blackwater and the streets around them. The closest station to High Garrett is Braintree station, roughly 2.6 miles south of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Tudor House Museum (Braintree) (1.7 miles south-west) and Braintree Community Hospital (2.6 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Belcher's and Broadfield Woods.
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the flat roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Somewhere as small as High Garrett, access is frequently the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We start with the details: the address, the roof’s use and any leaks or stains.
- We check the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The covering, falls, upstands, outlets, edge trims and rooflights are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp and staining under the roof where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Book a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or email us. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Read more
Roof by roof
Single-ply membranes
Many offices, units and newer flats have a single-ply PVC or TPO roof. We check the welded laps, the edges, the fixings and any punctures.
Mastic asphalt
Mastic asphalt is a heavy, seamless covering often found on older blocks, balconies and commercial roofs. The survey checks for crazing, cracking, blistering and splits where the asphalt turns up the walls.
When to book a survey in High Garrett
A buyer’s general survey often recommends a closer look at a flat roof. Owners and managing agents use a survey to plan upkeep, or ahead of a sale or a new lease. In each case, the report gives a written, photographed record of the roof’s condition.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Blistering in felt or asphalt
- A sagging deck under the covering
- Edge trims that have lifted or split
- Splits, cracks and crazing
If you own a rental within reach of Braintree station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
Questions to ask before you book
- What they will not be able to tell you
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection