Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Aston Tirrold
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Aston Tirrold and the rest of Oxfordshire. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in Aston Tirrold
Older homes frequently have roofs that have been patched over the years. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Most of it cannot be seen from the street. We look closely and record what we see, with photos so you can see it for yourself. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it is clear what it means for your purchase. We survey the roof space, clay and concrete tiles and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and people most frequently book us about gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and worn or lifted lead flashings.
Some older homes in villages like Aston Tirrold are listed or sit in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Aston Tirrold (OX11)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. You might ask for the work to be done before completion, or ask to adjust the price. The outcome is between you and the seller, and we can’t promise any result.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. Binoculars from ground level are enough for a first look.
Also near Aston Tirrold
More services for Aston Tirrold
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll recommend the right survey before booking. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Aston Tirrold
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
Landlords, agents and block managers in Aston Tirrold
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Aston Tirrold
Asbestos was banned in UK construction in 1999. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We don’t test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
Brightwell Manor lies about 3.3 miles north-east, so building around Aston Tirrold goes back a long way. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Questions to ask before you book
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What the survey will not cover
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Their report turnaround times
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Aston Tirrold
If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Michael, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Landlords with a home close to Cholsey station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Aston Tirrold is about 3 miles south-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. If you’re in Aston Tirrold, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Aston Tirrold and the places around it. You can also see our page for Reading.
Surveys in OX11 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Baker Street, Spring Lane and Aston Street or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Aston Tirrold: Blewbury (1 mile west), Woodway (2 miles south-west), East Hagbourne (2 miles north-west), Upton (3 miles west) and Coscote (3 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Oxford (13 miles north), Didcot (3 miles north-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (8 miles north-west), Wantage (10 miles west), Henley-on-Thames (13 miles east) and Grove (10 miles west).
Local landmarks in Aston Tirrold
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Chequers Inn Public House and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Cholsey station, about 1.8 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Brightwell Castle (3.3 miles north-east). Not far away are Mowbray Fields and Churn Hill.
Aston Tirrold: your questions answered
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Aston Tirrold?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you cover Aston Tirrold?
Yes, Aston Tirrold is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Aston Tirrold as anywhere else.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
The visit typically takes between one and two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we’ll agree the details when you book.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
What we do, step by step
We look at the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey typically takes between one and two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. For a village or hamlet like Aston Tirrold, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed in advance.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Arrange a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or email us.