Essex · London and the South East
Landlord Roof Survey in Little Bentley
Wondering about the let or shared roof at a property in Little Bentley? You can book a landlord roof survey in Little Bentley and across Essex, with plain-English findings.
- Gutters overflowing onto walls
- Gaps where tiles or slates have slipped
- Splits and blisters in flat roof coverings
How a landlord roof survey works in Little Bentley
With a shared roof, it is not always clear what’s wrong or where. We inspect the roof as far as it can safely be seen, including from the roof space and the flats where access is arranged. Each part of the roof is recorded with photos, so everyone works from the same facts. We can only inspect the parts of a shared roof we’re allowed to reach. We are often asked to look into leaking joints at party walls and cracked or leaning shared chimneys, on blocks of flats, converted houses and shared roofs.
In a village or hamlet like Little Bentley, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on what can be seen safely, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Location
- Little Bentley (CO7)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Arrange flat access beforehand
- Make sure the loft space can be accessed
- Act on high-priority defects quickly
- Keep roof outlets and gutters clear
We do not advise on leases or who should pay. What we provide is an independent record of condition to help those discussions.
Keep the roof space accessible so a surveyor can look inside the roof. Stored items over the hatch make checks harder.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Little Bentley
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out in order of urgency where relevant, which helps with budgets and planning.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Little Bentley
Little Bentley is within about 4 miles of the coast, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. About 4.7 miles south-east lies Thorpe Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Little Bentley has been built on. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Mary, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Little Bentley is about 7 miles north-west of Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex. Anywhere in Little Bentley, we can come and survey your property. We cover towns and villages across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Here we cover the CO7 postcode area for landlord roof surveys. Whether your property is on Church Road, Tendring Road and Manningtree Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Little Bentley: Monkey Street (1 mile west), Cowey Green (2 miles west), Hare Green (2 miles west), Balls Green (2 miles south-west) and Great Bromley (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Colchester (8 miles west), Clacton-on-Sea (7 miles south-east), Harwich (8 miles east), Camulodunum (9 miles west), Greenstead (6 miles west) and Tiptree (15 miles west).
Local landmarks in Little Bentley
Typical jobs here are in homes near Bricklayers pub, among other places. The nearest railway station is Great Bentley station, about 2.7 miles south of the centre. For a walk, there’s Weeleyhall Wood.
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to see as much of the let or shared roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photographs go into the written report. The visit typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, and longer for a block or a building with several roofs. Older rural homes like those around Little Bentley can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We start by agreeing the scope, roof by roof.
- Access to flats and the roof space is arranged with you in advance.
- We inspect each roof from safe vantage points, the roof space and the roof itself where safe.
- We photograph each defect and note how urgent it looks.
- You get a written condition report to help plan maintenance.
Getting ready for the survey
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Book a survey
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Advice
DIY checks: what’s safe
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Towns and villages near Little Bentley
What else we do in Little Bentley
What we can’t see
No survey can tell you everything, and it is better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (a specialist asbestos surveyor’s job)
- Structural calculations or an engineer’s report
- Walls, floors and services beyond the roof
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before booking. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Shared roofs
- Gutters and downpipes
- Rented houses
- Flat roofs on blocks
- Converted houses
- Blocks of flats
Little Bentley: your questions answered
Is the coastal weather around Little Bentley hard on roofs?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
I let a flat near Great Bentley station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
How much does a landlord roof survey cost in Little Bentley?
Landlord roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where it applies, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We have completed more than 5,000 surveys, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there is safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
When to book a survey in Little Bentley
Agents and freeholders have budgets to set. Planning is difficult without knowing the roof’s condition or when.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Choked outlets and gutters
- Flashings that have come away
- Damp or stains in top-floor flats
- Damaged pots and flaunching
For landlords with property near Great Bentley station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What happens after the report arrives
- What exactly goes into their report
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Whether the price includes VAT