Reading · London and the South East
Landlord roof survey in Fords Farm, Reading
Landlord roof surveys across Fords Farm, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Missing or loose roof coverings
- Failed flashings at walls and chimneys
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
Fords Farm: your questions answered
Will you come out to Fords Farm?
Yes. Fords Farm is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
How do I find out if my home in Fords Farm is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
How much time does the visit need?
Most visits to a house take about 1–2 hours, with blocks and complex roofs taking longer.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys run seven days a week. To find a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Who usually books a landlord or block roof survey?
It suits anyone responsible for a let or shared roof: landlords, agents, freeholders and residents’ management companies.
Can you survey a shared roof on a terrace or converted house?
Yes. We inspect the parts we’re given access to, as far as they can be seen safely. The report records what couldn’t be seen in the report.
Is the report suitable for a maintenance plan?
Yes. Recommendations are prioritised by urgency where relevant, which helps you plan work and budgets. Repair costs aren’t included but it gives contractors a clear brief.
About our landlord roof survey in Fords Farm
Our landlord roof survey gives you a clear picture of a roof’s condition in a report you can plan around. We work for landlords, letting agents, managing agents and freeholders along with RTM and residents’ management companies. You get a written report with photos and recommendations set out by urgency where relevant. It’s a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or 3 survey of the whole building. Common reasons to book are cracked or leaning shared chimneys and damp or stains in top-floor flats, on shared roofs, flat roofs on blocks and blocks of flats.
Around Fords Farm, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Older roofs can have slate, clay tiles or other traditional coverings, while many later ones have concrete tiles. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are typically where the work is, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. Nails and battens under older coverings frequently give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Fords Farm (RG30, RG31)
- Wider area
- Reading
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on the day
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely. The survey typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. In a smaller place like Fords Farm, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- We start by agreeing the scope, roof by roof.
- We confirm which flats and loft spaces we need to get into, and you arrange access.
- Each roof is checked as far as it can be seen safely, including from inside where possible.
- Every defect we find is photographed and given a priority where relevant.
- We send a written report you can use to plan maintenance and budgets.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
How to book
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Advice
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What we’re asked to look at in Fords Farm
Many blocks and converted houses have several roof types. Each wears differently and the smaller roofs are easy to forget.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Damaged pots and flaunching
- Missing or loose roof coverings
- Parapets and upstands in poor repair
- Leaks into upper flats
The streets around a church like St Matthew's are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether VAT is added on top
- When you’ll get the report
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- What they won’t be able to tell you
Also near Fords Farm
What else we do in Fords Farm
For landlords and managing agents
Landlords, agents and building managers in Fords Farm and across Reading can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Have gutters and outlets cleared every year
- Give residents notice before a survey
- Do not store items over the loft hatch
- Act on high-priority defects quickly
Photos make it easier to explain the findings to leaseholders, tenants or directors. We keep the report clear and jargon-light.
Regular roof checks beat waiting for a leak. A survey every few years suits many let and shared buildings with gutters cleared every year.
When you need someone else
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- Asbestos testing of roof sheets or soffits
- Parts of the roof we cannot safely see or access
- Walls, floors and services beyond the roof
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Blocks of flats
- Rented houses
- Shared roofs
- Converted houses
- Flat roofs on blocks
Landlord roof surveys around Fords Farm
Historic houses like Mapledurham House, about 3.1 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Fords Farm goes. On older houses around here, roofs frequently 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. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Trees in and around Calcot Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. For landlords with property near Reading Green Park station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Fords Farm is about 2 miles west of Reading, in Reading. We survey roofs in Fords Farm and the rest of Reading, as part of our work across London and South East England. Across Reading, we cover Fords Farm.
Landlord roof surveys in RG30 and RG31 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need a landlord roof survey at a property on Low Lane, Mill Lane and Bath Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for landlord roof surveys include Horncastle (1 mile north), Southcote (1 mile east), Burghfield Bridge (1 mile south), Beansheaf Farm (1 mile west) and Calcot (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include Caversham (4 miles north-east), Shinfield (4 miles south-east), Arborfield Garrison (7 miles south-east), Caversham Heights (3 miles north-east), Whitley Wood (3 miles south-east) and Sonning Common (6 miles north).
Landmarks near Fords Farm
Typical jobs here are in homes near Prospect School, Elvian School and The Cunning Man pub, among other places. The closest station to Fords Farm is Reading Green Park station, roughly 1.4 miles south-east. A little further out are Battle Hospital (1.7 miles north-east) and Beaumys Castle (4.8 miles south-east). The countryside around Fords Farm includes Fobney Island Wetland Reserve and South Lake.