Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Landlord roof survey in Fern, Buckinghamshire
Roof condition reports for landlords, agents and blocks of flats in Fern, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
- Leaking joints at party walls
- Blocked gutters over flats
How a landlord roof survey works in Fern
We check the same things on a let roof as on any other: coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and the loft space. Flat roofs over blocks, rear additions and garages are covered too where they’re part of the brief. We also look at chimneys, parapets and party-wall upstands where it is safe to see them and the loft where access is safe. If you’ve noticed worn ridges, hips and verges and cracked or lifting flashings, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on flat roofs on blocks, gutters and downpipes and rented houses alike.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
The report records the let or shared roof as we found it on the day. It’s useful right away, and a good reference for later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Fern (SL7)
- Region
- Buckinghamshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Fern
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Bourne End station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Do you cover smaller places like Fern?
Yes, Fern is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Will you check the loft?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there’s safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft cannot be reached safely, the report says so.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
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 booking.
Nearby places to Fern
What else we do in Fern
Fern homes and their roofs
Historic houses such as Cliveden, about 2.7 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Fern goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Thatch survives on some older buildings in Buckinghamshire’s villages. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you live in an older home near Church of St John the Baptist, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Little Marlow CofE School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Fern is about 2 miles north-east of Marlow, in Buckinghamshire. We carry out landlord roof surveys in Fern for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Our Buckinghamshire coverage includes Fern. Our Reading page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for landlord roof surveys: SL7. Other places close to Fern include Coldmoorholme (1 mile south-east), Little Marlow (1 mile south-west), Well End (1 mile south-east), Bourne End (1 mile south-east) and Flackwell Heath (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cover High Wycombe (3 miles north), Chesham (10 miles north-east), Amersham (8 miles north-east), Beaconsfield (4 miles east), Chalfont St Peter (8 miles east) and Southcourt (15 miles north).
What’s near Fern
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Bourne End Academy and The Black Lion pub, among other places. The nearest railway station is Bourne End station, about 1.1 miles south-east of the centre. A little further out are High Wycombe Castle (3.1 miles north) and Chiltern Sound Phonograph Museum (2.3 miles south-west). Not far away are Warren Nature Reserve.
How the survey changes by roof type
Shared chimney stacks
Damp in a chimney breast can start at the top of the stack. We note what we can see.
Pitched roofs on houses and blocks
On older pitched roofs, the fixings and underlay frequently fail before good slates or tiles. The report records it.
Why get it checked now?
Keeping a dated survey on file helps with future planning. Surveying again later shows what has changed, which suits a rolling maintenance plan. Outbuildings and barns around Fern are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
Why book us in Fern
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
What this survey can’t tell you
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Parts of the roof we can’t safely see or access
- Responsibility under a lease
- The structure in the way a structural engineer would assess it
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Fern
- Rented houses
- Flat roofs on blocks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Converted houses
- Shared roofs
- Blocks of flats
How it works
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. Most surveys take about 1–2 hours for a single let house, with blocks of flats taking longer. Cottages and farmhouses around Fern often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- You let us know about the building, its roofs and any known leaks.
- We confirm the access we’ll need.
- We check coverings, flashings, gutters and chimneys where they can be seen.
- The report records areas we couldn’t access.
- Findings and recommendations are set out with photographs.
Getting ready for the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Arrange a survey
We confirm the price for the job before booking, so you know where you stand. Prices start from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Landlord and commercial surveys in Fern
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Fern. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What we are asked to look at in Fern
Landlords need to plan spending on a building. Without a recent survey, it is hard to know what the roof needs or when.
Look out for signs like these:
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
- Parapets and upstands in poor repair
- Standing water on a flat roof
- Blocked gutters over flats
If you own a rental within reach of Bourne End station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA