Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Angel
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Angel, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Flashings that have lifted or split
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Angel
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 proper look at it before you’re committed. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, plus the loft where there’s safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos. We are often asked to look into sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes and slates or tiles that have slipped or gone, on flat-roofed extensions and dormers, chimney stacks and gutters and downpipes.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, so a property in Angel might be any of these. Whether the roof is old or newly laid, the problem areas depend on how and when the building went up. Slates, hidden valley gutters, parapets and flat roofs over back additions all need checking in their own way.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Angel (N1, N1P, EC1V)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
The survey, step by step
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs, sent to you by email. On timing, most surveys take about 1–2 hours at a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. For a visit in Angel, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. On the day, the roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from inside the loft space and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Before we arrive
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Getting a price
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
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More services for Angel
Common questions in Angel
Is drone flying allowed in Angel?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 2 miles from Angel. We check whether the address falls inside it, and if it does we apply for permission, which is not always given. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Angel?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it isn’t a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Do you need access inside the house?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If access isn’t possible, we note it in the report.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain does not normally stop a survey, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
Checking the roof from ground level
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us as you book, as it helps us focus the survey.
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.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Angel
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen painted over a flashing, mortar where lead should be, or a few tiles that do not match can point to a problem that keeps coming back. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Look out for signs like these:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Landlords with a home close to London Kings Cross station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
What to check before booking
- What the survey will not cover
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Local roofs and buyers in Angel
The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 2 miles from Angel. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check whether the address falls inside it before flying. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Take an older house close to St Mark's Church: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. For a London address like Angel, it is useful to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space.
Angel is about 1 mile north-east of St Pancras, in Greater London. Anywhere in Angel, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across Greater London, we cover Angel.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in N1, N1P and EC1V are booked the same way as anywhere else. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on City Road, Noel Road and Dewey Road. With the A501 close by, Angel is easy for us to reach for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also cover the places around Angel: Pentonville (1 mile north-east), Clerkenwell (1 mile south), Islington (1 mile north), St Pancras (1 mile south-west) and Kings Cross (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns like Kensington (5 miles south-west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (3 miles north-west), Ruislip (13 miles west), Brompton (4 miles south-west) and Stockwell (4 miles south).
Near you in Angel
In Angel, that means homes and buildings near Risinghill School, Pilsudski Institute of London and The Angel pub and the streets around them. Also close by are Barnard Park (within half a mile north-west) and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (within half a mile west). Angel’s nearest station is London Kings Cross station, roughly 0.7 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Finsbury Health Centre (0.5 miles south) and Museum of Funeral History (less than half a mile south). For a walk, there is Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.
How the survey changes by roof type
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
Gutters and parapets
Parapet and box gutters are hidden behind walls and can overflow inside. We check their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Angel
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The shape of the roof and its details
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Which survey package you book
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we’ll tell you which fits.
Helping us price your survey
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Anything about access we should know
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- Where the property is, with the postcode
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.