Kent · London and the South East
Landlord roof survey in Ruckinge, Kent
Landlord roof surveys across Ruckinge, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
- Chimney stacks in poor repair
- Ponding or splits on flat roofs
How the survey works
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely, from the ground, from windows, in the loft space and by drone where it applies. The survey usually takes an hour or two for a single let house, with blocks of flats taking longer. Cottages and farmhouses around Ruckinge frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- We agree which roofs and which parts of the building are included.
- We confirm which flats and loft spaces we need to get into, and you arrange access.
- We inspect each roof from safe vantage points, the loft space and the roof itself where safe.
- We photograph each defect and note how urgent it looks.
- We send a written report you can use to plan maintenance and budgets.
Preparing for the visit
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Book a survey
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Related advice
Landlord roof surveys for homes and businesses in Ruckinge
We check the same things on a let roof as on any other: slates or tiles, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and the loft. Flat roofs over blocks, rear additions and garages are covered too where they’re part of the brief. Chimney stacks, parapets and party-wall upstands are checked as far as they can be seen safely, along with the roof space where there’s safe access. We survey flat roofs on blocks, blocks of flats and rented houses, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are splits and blisters in flat roof coverings and worn ridges, hips and verges.
Somewhere as small as Ruckinge, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. On older roofs, it’s normally the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Ruckinge (TN26)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Keep past survey reports with the building’s records
- Have gutters and outlets cleared every year
- Put urgent roof work at the top of the list
- Make sure the roof space can be accessed
The report comes with photos and written recommendations ranked by urgency where relevant. We send it by email so you can share it with owners, agents or contractors.
Keep gutters and outlets clear, particularly on blocks with valleys or parapets. Blocked gutters are a common cause of leaks into top-floor flats.
What you can safely check yourself
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Why it is worth a survey now in Ruckinge
Keeping a dated survey on file helps with future planning. Repeat surveys let you see how the roof is changing, which suits a rolling maintenance plan. In a place like Ruckinge, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. It’s worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you need to know.
Why us?
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.
How the survey changes by roof type
Shared chimney stacks
Many terraces and conversions have shared stacks. Pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are looked at from safe vantage points.
Flat roofs on blocks and rear additions
Felt flat roofs often need replacing after around 15–20 years, so their age matters.
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and it is better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- Who pays under the lease (that’s a legal question)
- Structural calculations or an engineer’s report
- Whether materials contain asbestos (a specialist asbestos surveyor’s job)
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will suggest the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Blocks of flats
- Shared roofs
- Converted houses
- Rented houses
- Flat roofs on blocks
- Gutters and downpipes
Landlord roof surveys around Ruckinge
Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it is 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. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you let a flat or house near Ham Street station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. The streets around a church like Church of St Mary Magdalene are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Ruckinge is about 5 miles south of Ashford, in Kent. Surveys in Ruckinge work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful look at everything that’s safely in view, photos and a clear written report. Ruckinge is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work for landlord roof surveys. You can also see our page for Canterbury.
We cover every part of the TN26 postcode area for landlord roof surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Oak Ridge and Hamstreet Road or a nearby road, we can help. Close by, we survey roofs in Hamstreet (1 mile west), Stone Cross (2 miles north), Orlestone (2 miles north-west), Bromley Green (3 miles north-west) and Kenardington (3 miles west). We also work in nearby towns like Ashford (5 miles north), Folkestone (12 miles east), Hythe (8 miles east), Hawkinge (12 miles east), Tenterden (9 miles west) and Cheriton (11 miles east).
Landmarks near Ruckinge
The nearest railway station is Ham Street station, about 1.5 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find William Harvey Hospital (5.3 miles north). Open spaces near Ruckinge include Orlestone Forest.
Towns and villages near Ruckinge
Other services in Ruckinge
Ruckinge questions
Can a landlord with a rental near Ham Street station book a roof survey?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Will you come out to Ruckinge?
Yes, Ruckinge is covered. Our area covers London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not always. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs can’t always be walked on. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where it applies.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access when booking.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is frequently shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Can you survey a shared roof on a terrace or converted house?
Yes, we survey shared roofs often. Where a neighbouring roof isn’t part of the access, we can only see it from vantage points and we will say so.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys on weekdays and at weekends. To find a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.