Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Ambrosden
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Ambrosden, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Ambrosden
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. Our pre-purchase roof survey gives you a careful look at it before you’re committed. We look at the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, plus the loft where there is safe access. You get a written report with photos. We survey the roof space, natural slate and chimney stacks, and people most often book us about signs of past leaks inside the loft and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging.
Smaller places like Ambrosden frequently have bungalows and cottages as well as houses, and many have been extended or had dormers added. Even on a low roof, dormers, valleys and flat-roofed additions need a careful look. The same goes for a purchase or a new roof around Ambrosden. Snags and wear both tend to show at dormer lead work and along flat-roof edges.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Ambrosden (OX25)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Ambrosden
Will you come out to Ambrosden?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Is Ambrosden in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Ambrosden as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it is applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It isn’t a replacement for a RICS survey.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain does not usually stop a survey. Strong wind or a downpour can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Ideally, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Ambrosden
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, useful for planning maintenance.
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps with budgets and planning.
What happens if roof problems are left?
A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, and it won’t look closely at the roof. Our survey is done for you, and the report is written for you to use. Around Ambrosden, leaves and moss in gutters lead to overflowing water and damp walls. Dealing with the cause is simple; drying out a wall is not.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why book us in Ambrosden
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or our case studies.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Ambrosden?
The fixings and underlay frequently fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It is a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from ground level.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
Landlords with a home close to Bicester Village station may find that a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
What to check before booking
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether VAT is added on top
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Will the report include photos?
Ambrosden homes and their roofs
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. With Boarstall Tower about 3.5 miles south, Ambrosden sits in an area with a long building history. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary the Virgin: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Ambrosden is about 3 miles south-east of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Ambrosden as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
Surveys in OX25 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Ploughley Road, Elm Lane and Buttercup Way or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover Lower Arncott (1 mile south), Upper Arncott (1 mile south), Launton (2 miles north), Merton (2 miles south-west) and Murcott (3 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (10 miles south-west), Bicester (3 miles north-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (15 miles south-west), Thame (11 miles south-east), Kidlington (8 miles south-west) and Chinnor (15 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Ambrosden
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Turner Arms. The closest station to Ambrosden is Bicester Village station, about 1.9 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Bicester Village (2.1 miles north-west) and Bicester Community Hospital (2.4 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Graven Hill and Woodsides Meadow.
Nearby places to Ambrosden
What else we do in Ambrosden
Checking the roof from the ground
It is useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking and it will help the survey.
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.
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Asbestos testing of any kind
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
What we do, step by step
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. For a survey in Ambrosden, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. Let us know about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it’s safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
Getting a price
To get a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Ambrosden, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.