Greater London · London and the South East
Old Coulsdon Flat Roof Survey
Surveys of flat roofs on homes, extensions and commercial buildings around Old Coulsdon, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Loose or cracked edge trims
- Blisters and bubbles in the covering
- Upstands pulling away from walls
Flat roof surveys around Old Coulsdon
Outer London has plenty of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Old Coulsdon is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Mixed in with those pitched roofs are lots of flat ones, over rear extensions, dormers, garages and shops. Historic houses such as Addington Palace, about 5 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around Old Coulsdon goes. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
Anyone responsible for a site like Keston Primary School will know that a large flat roof with a good many outlets and rooflights has many places where a membrane can fail. If you own a rental within reach of Coulsdon South station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
Old Coulsdon is about 1 mile south-east of Coulsdon, in Greater London. Old Coulsdon gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Old Coulsdon is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work. There is also a page for London.
Surveys in CR5, CR3 and CR8 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on Ellis Road, Tollers Lane and Court Avenue and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Old Coulsdon: Coulsdon (1 mile north-west), Chipstead (2 miles west), Purley (2 miles north), Woodcote (2 miles north-west) and Woodmansterne (3 miles west). Further out, we also cover London (14 miles north), City of Westminster (15 miles north), Marylebone (15 miles north), Kensington (14 miles north), Whitechapel (15 miles north) and Brompton (14 miles north).
What’s near Old Coulsdon
Around Old Coulsdon, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Sunnydown School, Dollypers Hill and The Tudor Rose pub. Old Coulsdon’s nearest station is Coulsdon South station, about 1.4 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find East Surrey Museum (2 miles south-east) and St Lawrence's Hospital (1.3 miles south-east). Open spaces near Old Coulsdon include Nore Hill and Mercers Lake.
Flat roof survey in Old Coulsdon
If the house you are buying has a flat roof on an extension, dormer or garage, it’s worth knowing its condition before exchange. Many felt roofs need renewing after around 15 to 20 years, and EPDM and GRP often go on for longer. We set out the type of covering, its condition and the defects we found, with photos of each. You then have something specific to put to the seller or agent. Typical surveys look at gaps at upstands and abutments and standing water left after rain, across felt flat roofs, upstands and outlets and mastic asphalt.
Across London, flat roofs are everywhere, from back additions and dormers to roof terraces, blocks of flats and offices. Coverings range from felt and asphalt to EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and single-ply membranes, each with its own weak points. Which one is on a roof in Old Coulsdon shapes how it’s checked. Older flat roofs are often felt or asphalt, newer ones rubber or GRP.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Old Coulsdon (CR5, CR3, CR8)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- A promise that the roof will not leak in future
- Whether the deck or joists are strong enough
- Fragile surfaces, which we don’t walk on
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will suggest the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Upstands and outlets
- GRP fibreglass
- Mastic asphalt
- Felt flat roofs
- EPDM rubber
- Single-ply membranes
Checking the roof from the ground
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Do not go up yourself.
Old Coulsdon: your questions answered
Is my home in Old Coulsdon listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Old Coulsdon?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and the South East, and Old Coulsdon is part of that. You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
What insurance do you have?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. The roof space can show things the outside cannot, like damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. High wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We note visible signs such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and don’t carry out calculations. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
Do you check flat roofs for asbestos?
Our survey does not include asbestos testing. Older buildings, from before 2000, may have asbestos in cement sheets or soffits. Anything that might contain it is flagged, so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before work starts.
What affects the cost of flat roof surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Roof area
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- When you need the report by
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Old Coulsdon
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the flat roof, with photos, useful for planning maintenance.
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Do you need a flat roof survey in Old Coulsdon?
The details are frequently where a flat roof lets go first. Upstands, edge trims, outlets and the kerbs around rooflights move and weather differently from the rest of the roof. Where they weren’t finished well, they tend to fail before anything else.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Outlets that hold water back
- Signs of deflection in the roof deck
- Failed seals around rooflight kerbs
- Damaged trims at the roof edge
If you live in an older home near Church of St John the Evangelist, flat-roofed rear additions and dormers added over the years are worth checking.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What the survey will not cover
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
What we do, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours for a small flat roof at home, and longer for a large commercial one. In Old Coulsdon, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it’s useful to know what’s near you, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- We start with the details: the address, the roof’s use and any leaks or stains.
- We look at the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part of the roof we can see is checked: covering, falls, upstands, outlets, trims and rooflights.
- We check the rooms or spaces under the roof for staining where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects we found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Book a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.