Greater London · London and the South East
Shadwell Flat Roof Survey
Flat roof surveys across Shadwell, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Signs of deflection in the roof deck
- Leaks around rooflights
- Outlets choked with leaves and silt
Flat roof survey in Shadwell: what you get
Ponding is often the first sign that something on a flat roof isn’t right. It can mean the falls were never right, an outlet is blocked or the deck has started to sag. We record where water sits, check the outlets and look for dips that suggest deflection. Where the deck may be a structural issue, our report says a structural engineer should look at it. We survey mastic asphalt, GRP fibreglass and single-ply membranes, and the problems we are asked to look at most are blistering in felt or asphalt and edge trims that have lifted or split.
Water getting through a flat roof in London can travel under the covering and appear some way from the hole. Upstands against parapets, outlets and the edge where flat meets pitched are common entry points. In a converted house in Shadwell, the roof above may belong to the building rather than one flat.
If any part of the flat roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Shadwell (SE16, E1, E1W)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Shadwell
Many flat roof problems start at the details rather than the main surface. 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.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Raised blisters across the surface
- Failed seals around rooflight kerbs
- Damaged trims at the roof edge
- Outlets that hold water back
For landlords with property near Wapping station, the flat roof over a let home is worth a look before it becomes a tenant complaint.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What experience they bring
- What they will not be able to tell you
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
Checking the roof from ground level
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when you book and it will help the survey.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
What happens on the day
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take between one and two hours for most houses, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a London conversion, the way into the loft space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it’s useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- 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.
- We view the roof from safe positions and never walk on fragile surfaces.
- Each defect is photographed and its likely cause noted.
- The report explains the condition and recommends what to do first.
Before the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Booking a survey
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us and give us some details about the property and we’ll recommend the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Flat and commercial roofs around Shadwell
Many homes in inner London are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often with Welsh slate roofs. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Next to the main roofs there’s typically a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit. There are several hotels within about a mile and a half of Shadwell, and hotels, like offices and blocks of flats, often have flat roofs. For hotels and other commercial buildings, finding the cause of a flat roof leak quickly keeps rooms in use.
If you run a business near Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, flat roofs over shops and units are easy to forget until water comes through a ceiling. Anyone responsible for a site like Peter Hills with St Mary's and St Paul's CofE Primary School will know that schools and public buildings frequently have big flat roofs, and their outlets and upstands need regular checks.
Shadwell is about 1 mile south-east of Whitechapel, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Shadwell can all book flat roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Our Greater London coverage includes Shadwell.
Surveys in SE16, E1 and E1W work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Swan Road, Thame Road and Brunel Road and the roads around them. Being close to the A101 and A126, Shadwell is simple for us to get to. If you’re just outside Shadwell, we cover Ratcliff (1 mile north), East End of London (1 mile north-west), Wapping (1 mile west), St George in the East (1 mile west) and Limehouse (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns like City of Westminster (5 miles west), Marylebone (4 miles west), Kensington (7 miles west), St Pancras (3 miles north-west), Walthamstow (6 miles north) and Hampstead (7 miles north-west).
What’s near Shadwell
We work in homes and buildings around Bacon's College, Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives and Russia Dock Woodland, among other places. Also close by are Prospect of Whitby pub (within half a mile west) and St Mellitus College (0.6 miles west). Shadwell has its own railway station: Wapping station. A little further out are St Olave's Hospital (0.8 miles south-west) and The Pumphouse Educational Museum (within half a mile east). For a walk, there is Lavender Pond and Tower Hill.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Landlords, agents and building managers in Shadwell and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Towns and villages near Shadwell
Also in Shadwell
Common questions in Shadwell
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Shadwell?
It depends on the street. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well, and a driveway is even better.
Is my home in Shadwell listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Can you survey a flat roof on an office or unit?
Yes. We survey flat roofs on commercial buildings as well as homes. Expect about 3 to 4 hours on site for most commercial roofs, and larger roofs are quoted for their size.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Does someone need to be in?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access when you book.
Will you walk on the flat roof?
Only where it’s 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. Fragile surfaces are never walked on.
Will you check the loft?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there is safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
What this survey can’t tell you
It helps to know what a survey will not do before you book:
- The condition of the deck or insulation hidden under the covering
- Parts of the roof that aren’t safe to walk on or view
- A fixed date for when the roof will need replacing
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will suggest the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Single-ply membranes
- GRP fibreglass
- EPDM rubber
- Upstands and outlets
- Mastic asphalt
- Felt flat roofs
What we look for on each type of roof
GRP fibreglass
GRP roofs can last up to about 30 years when they’re laid well. Hairline cracks over board joints are an early warning we look out for.
Rooflights and upstands
We do not walk on rooflights or fragile sheeting, and we treat older rooflights as fragile. They’re inspected from safe positions and recorded with photographs.