Essex · London and the South East
Thornwood Common Landlord Roof Survey
Find out what’s going on with the let or shared roof before you decide what to do next. Landlord roof surveys in Thornwood Common.
- Cracked or leaning shared chimneys
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Damp or stains in top-floor flats
What affects the cost of landlord roof surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Which survey package you book
- House, block, shop or office
- Roof area
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. We confirm the price for your roof before booking.
Booking your survey
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- When you need the report by
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Landlord roof survey in Thornwood Common
A roof over tenants or leaseholders often gets attention only when water comes in. Surveying the roof first helps you spot defects early, and plan work rather than react to it. The findings come in a written report with photos that you can keep with the building’s records. Many landlords and agents repeat it every few years to keep maintenance plans current. We survey blocks of flats, shared roofs and converted houses, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are damaged party-wall upstands or parapets and blocked gutters over flats.
Somewhere as small as Thornwood Common, 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 what can be seen safely, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Location
- Thornwood Common (CM16)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Party-wall upstands and parapets
Parapet walls often hide gutters behind them. They’re checked where safe access allows.
Gutters and downpipes
Gutters are a common source of leaks on blocks. Gutters, outlets and downpipes are inspected where they can be seen.
How the survey works
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take an hour or two for most houses, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Rural addresses near Thornwood Common can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with what you know about the building and its history.
- We let you know which flats and hatches we need to reach.
- We check coverings, flashings, gutters and chimneys where they can be seen.
- The report records areas we couldn’t access.
- You receive photos and recommendations, prioritised where relevant.
Before the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Booking a survey
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Advice
Checking the roof from ground level
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Landlord roof surveys in Thornwood Common: local notes
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, alongside lots of post-war and newer estates. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Historic houses like Hill Hall, about 3.3 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Thornwood Common goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Anyone responsible for a site like St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. If you live near a park such as Thornwood Common Flood Meadow, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you let a flat or house near Harlow Town station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Thornwood Common is about 3 miles south of Harlow, in Essex. Thornwood Common is one of many places we visit across Essex, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Across Essex, we cover Thornwood Common. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Every address in CM16 is within our area for landlord roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Rowley Mead, Duck Lane and Weald Hall Lane. Other places close to Thornwood Common include Coopersale (1 mile south), North Weald Bassett (2 miles east), Hastingwood (2 miles north-east), Bush Fair (3 miles north) and Foster Street (3 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (15 miles east), Harlow (3 miles north), Brentwood (10 miles south-east), Billericay (14 miles south-east), Loughton (6 miles south-west) and Waltham Abbey (6 miles south-west).
What’s near Thornwood Common
Typical jobs here are in homes near Thornwood Common Flood Meadow and the streets around them. The closest station to Thornwood Common is Harlow Town station, about 4.5 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Epping Signalling Museum (2 miles south) and St. Margaret's Hospital (1.1 miles south). For a walk, there’s Gernon Bushes.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Thornwood Common
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Places near Thornwood Common
What else we do in Thornwood Common
Common questions in Thornwood Common
I let a flat near Harlow Town station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Will you come out to Thornwood Common?
Yes. Thornwood Common is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Does the report help with maintenance planning?
Yes, that is one of the main reasons clients book. A repeat survey later shows how the roof has changed, which suits a rolling plan.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys on any day of the week. To find a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
Can you survey a shared roof on a terrace or converted house?
Yes, we survey shared roofs frequently. We can only inspect neighbouring parts from where we are allowed to be and we’ll say so.
How long will you be at the property?
Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take between one and two hours for a single let house, with blocks of flats taking longer. The report is sent afterwards by email.
Tips from our surveys
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Act on high-priority defects quickly
- Keep past survey reports with the building’s records
- Keep the loft hatch clear and reachable
- Book gutter clearing at least once a year
Questions about who pays under the lease are for your managing agent or a solicitor. Our report sets out the roof’s condition to help those discussions.
Deal with the high-priority defects quickly and schedule the others. Left alone, minor faults usually get worse.