Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Addiscombe, Greater London
A careful look at the roof at your property in Addiscombe, with photographs and a written report.
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Before and after the survey
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Let us know your timetable
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
With the findings in hand, you can talk to the seller or their agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we cannot promise any result.
Every so frequently, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Addiscombe
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you will be asking from facts rather than guesses. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey lead flashings and valleys, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and clay and concrete tiles, and people most often book us about a ridge or slope that dips and slates or tiles that have slipped or gone.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, and a home in Addiscombe could be any of them. Whether the roof is old or newly laid, the problem areas depend on how and when the building went up. Slate roofs, butterfly valleys, parapet gutters and flat-roofed rear additions each have their own weak points.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Addiscombe (CR0, SE25, CR9)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey works
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In a London area like Addiscombe, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. We then look at what can safely be seen from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it’s safe, the roof itself.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, inside and out.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
How to book
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or send us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Advice
Local roofs and buyers in Addiscombe
Addington Palace, about 2 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Addiscombe. 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. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
For an older house near a landmark such as St Mildred's Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Addiscombe is in London, so parking needs planning: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book.
Addiscombe is about 2 miles north-east of Croydon, in Greater London. Addiscombe is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our Greater London coverage includes Addiscombe. We also survey roofs in London.
We work across CR0, SE25 and CR9 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Grant Road, Capri Road and Coe Avenue or a nearby road, we can survey it. Being close to the A232, Addiscombe is easy for us to reach for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you are just outside Addiscombe, we cover Shirley Oaks (1 mile east), Ashburton (1 mile north), Woodside (1 mile north), Shirley (1 mile east) and Monks Orchard (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover London (8 miles north), City of Westminster (10 miles north), Marylebone (10 miles north), Kensington (10 miles north-west), St Pancras (10 miles north) and Shoreditch (10 miles north).
Near you in Addiscombe
We work in homes and buildings around The Woodside Academy, The Cricketers pub and Ashburton Park. The nearest railway station is Norwood Junction station, roughly 1.2 miles north. Well-known places in the area include St George's Walk (1.5 miles west) and Crystal Palace Museum (2.7 miles north). Not far away are Duppas Hill and Bramley Bank.
Why act early in Addiscombe
Small roof defects let water in slowly. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Spotting it before you buy means you know about it from day one. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. Knowing what’s needed early gives you time to plan it calmly, rather than in a rush after a leak.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, with VAT included.
What you get with us
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Read what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Places near Addiscombe
Other services in Addiscombe
Questions from Addiscombe
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Addiscombe?
Sometimes, yes. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well, and a driveway is even better.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Addiscombe?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Does someone need to be in?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we’ll agree the details as you book.
How long will you be at the property?
On site, it normally takes an hour or two for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes, you can. You’ll have photos and a written description of each defect, which you can share with the seller or agent. We can’t promise how the seller will respond.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run seven days a week. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What we look for on each type of roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack, and low-pitched roofs need their laps to be right.
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We say when the covering would need opening up to know more.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Addiscombe?
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It is often found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We do not test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
If you own a rental within reach of Norwood Junction station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Will the report include photos?
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- What they will not be able to tell you
- What insurance they carry
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Addiscombe
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- The size of the roof
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, let us know:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.