Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Aylesham, Kent
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Aylesham, with photos and a clear written report.
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Aylesham
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. We can’t say how a seller will respond, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. Common reasons to book are roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and quick fixes on flashings and valleys, on lead flashings and valleys, clay and concrete tiles and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
In a smaller place like Aylesham, homes are mostly houses and bungalows, from older cottages to more recent builds. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. For a purchase or a newly replaced roof, what’s under the coverings matters as much as what’s on top. Older roofs often have bitumen felt under the coverings, as breathable membranes only arrived in the late 1990s.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Location
- Aylesham (CT3)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, not at the condition of each slate and flashing. A roof survey is carried out for the buyer. In an older home around Aylesham, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT, and we’ll tell you which fits.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Aylesham
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Surveys on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- 20+ years’ experience
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
See what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
What we do, step by step
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there’s safe access. All told, expect an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Aylesham is booked with the forecast in mind: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Before the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or email us, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
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Aylesham questions
Will you come out to Aylesham?
Yes, we do. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Aylesham?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Aylesham as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Can you survey in bad weather?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. Strong wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we’ll arrange another day with you.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. You need the report before you exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If we can’t get in, the report says so.
How soon is the report ready?
That depends on which survey you choose: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Let us know your exchange date and we will help you choose.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes. The report sets out what we found, with photos, which you can share with the seller or agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
Places near Aylesham
What else we do in Aylesham
Roof by roof
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We record what we can see and say where a closer look is needed.
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.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Aylesham
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed in advance. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which can make access easier.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Checking the roof from the ground
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Aylesham?
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Good slate can last well over a century, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It is a frequent finding on older houses.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
If you own a rental within reach of Aylesham station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How soon the report will arrive
- Will the report include photos?
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Buying a home or a new roof in Aylesham
Older houses across Kent often have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. About 1.6 miles north-east lies Goodnestone Park, a reminder of how long the area around Aylesham has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you live in an older home near St Peter, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Aylesham is about 6 miles south-east of Canterbury, in Kent. Surveys in Aylesham work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Aylesham is one of the towns and villages in Kent we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. Our Canterbury page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in CT3 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on Market Place, Mexborough Square and Derwent Way or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Close by, we survey roofs in Bloodden (1 mile north), Adisham (1 mile north), Womenswold (1 mile south-west), Woolage Green (2 miles south) and Out Elmstead (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Canterbury (6 miles north-west), Margate (13 miles north-east), Dover (8 miles south-east), Folkestone (10 miles south), Ramsgate (12 miles north-east) and Broadstairs (14 miles north-east).
Near you in Aylesham
There is a railway station in Aylesham itself: Aylesham station. Well-known places in the area include St Martins Hospital (5.2 miles north-west).