Essex · London and the South East
Flat Roof Survey in Waterhales
A careful look at the flat roof at your property in Waterhales, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Failed seals around rooflight kerbs
- Outlets choked with leaves and silt
- Raised blisters across the surface
Flat roof surveys for homes and businesses in Waterhales
Each flat roof is looked at from the safest viewpoints we have: from the roof itself where that is safe, from windows and nearby vantage points, and from inside where there’s access. We don’t walk on fragile rooflights or fragile roof sheeting. If part of the roof can’t be seen or reached safely, the report says so, so the limits of the survey are clear. If you are worried about leaks around rooflights and signs of deflection in the roof deck, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Older buildings in small places like Waterhales may be listed or in a conservation area, and that can affect how an extension roof or dormer is re-covered. Check with the council before planning any change of material. Knowing the roof’s condition is the starting point. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent.
You receive the findings 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.
- Place
- Waterhales (CM14)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Waterhales
Buyers often book after their home survey suggests 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.
People typically book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Blistering in felt or asphalt
- Loose or cracked edge trims
- Signs of deflection in the roof deck
- Gaps at upstands and abutments
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Drapers' Academy, large flat roofs, common on schools and other public buildings, need their outlets, upstands and coverings checked regularly.
Before booking anyone
- How long the report takes to arrive
- What the survey will not cover
- What happens after the report arrives
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
What happens if roof problems are left?
A small split in a flat roof is normally a modest job when it’s found early. Leave it, and water can get into the insulation and deck, which can turn a patch into a replacement. Surveying it now tells you where you stand. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Waterhales, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Why book us in Waterhales
- PI and public liability insurance
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Every finding written up with photos
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Common questions in Waterhales
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Waterhales?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Will you come out to Waterhales?
Yes, Waterhales is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
What’s the best way to book?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. Give us the address and some details about the roof. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Can you test old roof sheets for asbestos?
We don’t test for asbestos. Where a roof has materials that might contain asbestos, such as old cement sheeting, the report flags them and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor.
Which flat roof coverings do you cover?
Felt, asphalt, EPDM, GRP and single-ply roofs are all covered. Not sure what yours is? We will tell you in the report.
How many years has my flat roof got left?
A precise figure is not something we give, because it depends on upkeep, weather and how the roof was laid. Our report describes the condition and what needs doing, and when.
Does a flat roof survey replace a RICS survey?
No. It’s a closer look at the flat roof, not a survey of the whole property. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one, and it isn’t a structural engineer’s report.
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the flat roof as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Notes and photographs go into the written report. It typically takes between one and two hours for an extension, garage or dormer roof, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial flat roof. Somewhere like Waterhales needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- First you give us the address, what the roof covers and any leaks you’ve noticed.
- The roof is inspected from safe viewpoints, and from the roof itself where that’s safe.
- Every part of the roof we can see is checked: covering, falls, upstands, outlets, trims and rooflights.
- Inside, we look for damp and staining under the roof where there is access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects we found and what we recommend.
Preparing for the visit
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window. To get started, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
Nearby places to Waterhales
More services for Waterhales
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Waterhales. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer.
Flat roofs in Waterhales
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, and lots of post-war and modern estates besides. Next to the main roofs there is normally a flat roof somewhere, whether on an extension, a garage or a commercial unit. Historic houses such as Hare Hall, about 3.6 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Waterhales goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
The streets around a church like Church of St Thomas are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, the joins between later flat roofs and the old walls are where problems normally start. For landlords with property near Harold Wood station, flat roofs over rear additions and dormers in rented property are worth checking between tenancies.
Waterhales is about 3 miles north of Harold Wood, in Essex. From houses to flats and shops in Waterhales, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Our area takes in places right across Essex, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Here we cover the CM14 postcode area for flat roof surveys. Other places close to Waterhales include Navestock Common (1 mile south-west), Horseman Side (1 mile north-east), St Vincent's Hamlet (1 mile south-east), Navestock Heath (1 mile north) and Noak Hill (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (13 miles north-east), Basildon (11 miles south-east), Harlow (10 miles north-west), Brentwood (4 miles east), Billericay (9 miles east) and Loughton (7 miles west).
Around Waterhales
Around Waterhales, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Alma Arms and Dagnam Park, among other places. Waterhales’s nearest station is Harold Wood station, about 3.1 miles south of the centre. A little further out are Harold Wood Hospital (3.1 miles south). For a walk, there’s Bedfords Park.
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
What we can’t see
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Parts of the roof that aren’t safe to walk on or view
- Asbestos testing, which needs a specialist asbestos surveyor
- An exact number of years the roof has left
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Waterhales
- EPDM rubber
- Upstands and outlets
- Mastic asphalt
- Felt flat roofs
- GRP fibreglass
- Single-ply membranes