Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Appledore, Kent
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Appledore, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Old water stains in the roof space
Pre-purchase roof survey in Appledore: what you get
Buying a home is a big commitment, and the roof is one of the costliest parts to put right. Our pre-purchase roof survey gives you a proper look at it before you are committed. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the roof space where it is safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. Typical surveys look at old water stains in the roof space and quick fixes on flashings and valleys, across clay and concrete tiles, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys.
For a small place like Appledore, the visit is planned like any other: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you are buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Appledore (TN26)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in Appledore
Once you exchange, the roof’s problems become yours. Before then, you can still ask questions, ask for work to be done or reconsider. Finding out later gives you the same facts, but too late to use them in the purchase. For older village homes like those around Appledore, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. That is one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Appledore
- Photographs and a written report every time
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Prices that include VAT
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
Nearby places to Appledore
Also in Appledore
Landlords, agents and block managers in Appledore
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
How it works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take between one and two hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around Appledore often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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 check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations to read before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
Appledore: your questions answered
Will you come out to Appledore?
Yes, Appledore is covered. We work right across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Appledore?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
How soon is the report ready?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed, with photos.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if the building owner or managing agent agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
How do I book a survey in Appledore?
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what you’d like to know. We will confirm the price and agree a day with you.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In strong wind or heavy rain, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
When you need someone else
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- A structural engineer’s report
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before booking. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
Checking the roof from the ground
A lot can be seen from the ground. 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.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Practical tips
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Check we’ll be able to get into the loft space
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up to see how things have changed.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Buying a home or a new roof in Appledore
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. You will also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
If you let a flat or house near Appledore (Kent) station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. With Smallhythe Place about 3.9 miles west, the area around Appledore has a long history. If you are buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Peter and St Paul, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Appledore is about 8 miles south-west of Ashford, in Kent. We survey roofs in Appledore and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and South East England. Appledore is one of the towns and villages in Kent we cover. You can also see our page for Maidstone.
Here we cover the TN26 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. You will find streets such as The Street, Old Way and Court Lodge Road, all of which we cover. If you are just outside Appledore, we cover Appledore Heath (1 mile north), Stone in Oxney (1 mile south-west), Reading Street (2 miles west), Stone Corner (3 miles west) and Brattle (3 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Ashford (8 miles north-east), Hythe (13 miles east), Tenterden (5 miles north-west), Kennington (10 miles north-east), New Romney (7 miles south-east) and Staplehurst (14 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Appledore
The closest station to Appledore is Appledore (Kent) station, about 1.3 miles east of the centre. A little further out are Brenzett Aeronautical Museum (3.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near Appledore include Orlestone Forest.