Essex · London and the South East
Old Heath Flat Roof Survey
Get a clear view of the flat roof at a property in Old Heath from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- A sagging deck under the covering
- Blisters and bubbles in the covering
- Cracked or split membrane
Flat roof survey in Old Heath
Each flat roof is looked at from the safest viewpoints we have: on the roof where it is safe, from windows and higher ground, and from the rooms below where we can reach them. Fragile rooflights and fragile sheets are never walked on. Where any area cannot be viewed safely, we say so in the report, so the limits of the survey are clear. We survey mastic asphalt, single-ply membranes and EPDM rubber, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are blistering in felt or asphalt and standing water left after rain.
Around a smaller place like Old Heath, flat roofs usually cover extensions, garages and dormers. Even a small flat roof can let a good many water into the room below. What it is covered in, and how well it was laid, decides what it needs, from felt and asphalt to EPDM rubber and GRP. Ponding, splits and lifting edges are the signs to look for from a window.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Place
- Old Heath (CO2, CO1, CO4)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about flat roof surveys in Old Heath
Is the coastal weather around Old Heath hard on roofs?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Old Heath?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Can you tell me how long my flat roof will last?
We do not give a fixed number of years, because it depends on upkeep, weather and how the roof was laid. We describe the condition and say which work is urgent and which can wait.
Will you check the loft?
If the survey needs it and the loft space can be reached safely, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch.
What do I do with the report?
The report arrives by email, with photographs and clear recommendations. With Standard there is a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days when you book.
Do you check flat roofs for asbestos?
Asbestos testing isn’t part of our survey. If we see materials that could contain it, like cement sheets on a building from before 2000, we flag them and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor.
Towns and villages near Old Heath
Also in Old Heath
Why act early in Old Heath
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a flat roof is before contracts are exchanged. Once you’ve exchanged, any work on the roof is down to you. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. On a bungalow or cottage around Old Heath, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so a small leak can mark a ceiling within a few storms. Catching the cause first saves redecorating as well.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Flat roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why book us in Old Heath
- 98% customer satisfaction
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Surveys on weekdays and at weekends
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Flat and commercial roofs around Old Heath
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Old Heath, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Wind can catch loose edges and trims on a flat roof, and salt air is hard on metal trims, flashings and fixings. Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. Alongside them, flat-roofed extensions, dormers, garages and commercial units are common almost everywhere.
If you run a business near Lion Walk, flat roofs over shops and units are easy to forget until water comes through a ceiling. Take an older house close to St Barnabas: any flat roof added at the back or on a dormer is likely to be far younger, and less durable, than the main roof.
Old Heath is about 1 mile south of Greenstead, in Essex. Old Heath gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a proper look at what can be seen safely, photographs and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Essex, large and small. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
Every address in CO2, CO1 and CO4 is covered for flat roof surveys. If you need a flat roof survey at a property on Wick Road, Haven Road and D'arcy Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you are just outside Old Heath, we cover The Hythe (1 mile north), Berechurch (1 mile south-west), Rowhedge (1 mile south-east), Greenstead (1 mile north) and Wivenhoe Cross (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include Clacton-on-Sea (11 miles south-east), Maldon (14 miles south-west), Witham (13 miles west), Harwich (15 miles east), Halstead (13 miles west) and Heybridge (13 miles south-west).
What’s near Old Heath
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Bell pub, Thomas Lord Audley School and Language College and Donyland Lodge, among other places. Old Heath’s nearest station is Hythe station, roughly 1 mile north. Nearby you will also find Essex County Hospital (1.9 miles north-west) and Grandad's Photography Museum (1.5 miles north-west). The countryside around Old Heath includes Cockaynes Wood.
What we do, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. For a survey in Old Heath, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- You send us the address and, for commercial roofs, an idea of the roof’s size.
- Inside, we look for signs of water under the roof where we can reach.
- We view the roof from safe positions and never walk 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.
Preparing for the visit
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
How to book
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
GRP fibreglass
Movement in the deck or a thin layer of resin can lead to cracks in GRP. We record any cracking and any signs of the deck moving.
Single-ply membranes
Single-ply relies on its welded laps staying sound. We check seams, corners and the joints around outlets and upstands.
Signs you need a flat roof survey in Old Heath
Flat roofs often get walked on for other jobs: to clean windows, fit aerials or air conditioning units, or reach a gutter. Each visit can damage a covering not made for regular foot traffic. New brackets and fixings through the roof are another common source of leaks.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Splits, cracks and crazing
- Blisters and bubbles in the covering
- Water getting in at rooflights
- A sagging deck under the covering
If you let a flat or house near Hythe station, flat roofs on let property tend to be checked only when they fail, which is the costly way round.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Which limits apply to the survey
What we can’t see
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Structural calculations, which need a structural engineer
- Testing older roof sheets for asbestos
- What’s under the membrane without opening it up
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will point you to the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Old Heath
- Single-ply membranes
- Felt flat roofs
- GRP fibreglass
- Mastic asphalt
- EPDM rubber
- Upstands and outlets
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.