Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Gutter survey in Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Need a gutter survey in Hitchin? We can help, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Blocked outlets and hoppers
- Leaking or loose downpipes
- Overflowing eaves gutters
Hitchin homes and their roofs
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it’s listed or in a conservation area. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area.
The streets around a church like Church of the Holy Saviour are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you live near a park like Butts Close, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. Anyone responsible for a site like Hitchin Girls' School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Hitchin is about 5 miles north-west of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Hitchin can all book gutter surveys. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Milton Keynes.
Surveys in SG4 and SG5 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Market Place, London Road and Harrison Close, and we cover them all. Hitchin sits on or near the A505 and A600, which makes travel easy. Neighbouring places we cover for gutter surveys include Benslow (1 mile east), Poets Estate (1 mile east), Bearton (1 mile north-west), Walsworth (1 mile north-east) and Westmill (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (14 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south), Hatfield (13 miles south) and Hertford (13 miles south-east). Hitchin is one of the larger places we cover in Hertfordshire.
Around Hitchin
We work in homes and buildings around Highbury Infant School and Nursery, Butts Close and Kingshott School, among other places. Also close by are Radcliffe Arms (under half a mile north-east) and St Mary's Church (under half a mile south-west). Hitchin has its own railway station: Hitchin station. Nearby you’ll also find Wymondley Castle (1.7 miles east) and Lister Hospital (3.1 miles south-east). The countryside around Hitchin includes Purwell Ninesprings and Markham's Hill.
How a gutter survey works in Hitchin
This survey covers rainwater above ground, from the gutters down to where the downpipes meet the ground. It isn’t a CCTV drain survey, so we can’t see inside underground pipes. If the problem looks like a blocked or broken drain below ground, we’ll say so in the report, so you can get the drains checked separately. Anything we find above ground, like a split hopper or a leaking downpipe, is photographed and recorded. Typical surveys look at gutters that have fallen out of line and leaking or loose downpipes, on downpipes, parapet and box gutters and valley gutters.
Semis and terraces in a town like Hitchin share roof details with the neighbours. When a stack or gutter is shared, the problem may not be on your side alone. Shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen safely from the property we’re surveying. Let us know when you book if you know of anything shared with next door.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly.
- Where
- Hitchin (SG4, SG5)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Aluminium and other metal gutters
Metal gutters can suffer at joints and where different metals meet. Any leaks or corrosion we spot go in the report.
Box and secret gutters
Box and secret gutters often cause leaks indoors. Outlets, linings and overflows are checked as far as access allows.
What affects the price in Hitchin
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Height and safe access
- The size of the roof
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- What’s prompted the survey
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Tips from our surveys
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Do not climb a ladder to look in the gutters
- Include valley, parapet and box gutters when clearing
- Have overhanging branches cut back
- Note any damp stains below the gutters
After any work is done, watch the gutters in the next heavy rain. Water should run to the outlets and away without spilling over, and if it doesn’t, raise it with whoever did the job.
Get small faults like a dripping joint or loose downpipe sorted quickly. Left alone, they typically grow and spilled water harms brickwork and woodwork.
Other services in Hitchin
What we do, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a report with photographs, sent to you by email. On timing, it typically takes about one to two hours at a house, depending on how many gutter runs and downpipes there are. In Hitchin, many roofs join a neighbour’s, so shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen from your property. It’s useful to know about previous repairs, leaks or recent work, so time on site goes where it is needed.
- First, you let us know what you’ve seen, like overflows or damp.
- Gutters, downpipes, fascias and soffits are inspected from safe vantage points.
- Any valley, parapet or box gutters are looked at as far as safe access allows.
- We look in the roof space, where there’s safe access, for signs of water getting in.
- You get a report with photographs and recommendations.
How to prepare
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To get started, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Let us know about it when booking and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Why act early in Hitchin
Climbing a ladder to look in the gutters yourself is risky. You can see drips and overflows from ground level, but valleys, parapets and box gutters are hard to see. We inspect as far as it is safe to see and put it in writing. Around Hitchin, gutters that overflow soak the wall below, and damp follows inside. A slipped tile or worn flashing does the same higher up. Neither gets better on its own.
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 want to find out.
Why us?
- An independent look at the roof
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Surveys seven days a week
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Hitchin: your questions answered
Do you cover Hitchin?
Yes. Our area covers London and the South East, and Hitchin is part of that. Just phone 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the property.
Is my home in Hitchin listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it does not include calculations. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Do you look in the loft space?
Where it’s relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft can’t be reached safely, the report says so.
How soon will I get the report?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. All of them come by email.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not always. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs cannot always be walked on. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where applicable, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Is a CCTV drain survey included?
No. We check above-ground rainwater only down to where the downpipes reach the ground. Where a below-ground drain seems to be the problem, we will tell you.