Greater London · London and the South East
Barnes Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Barnes, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Different roofs, different checks
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. From inside the loft space, we report what we can see of it.
Flat roofs
Standing water, blisters, splits and tired upstands all point to wear. We check outlets too, since a blocked one leaves water sitting on the roof, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Barnes
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. Standard adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. Premium goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where it applies and a same-day report. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a written report with photos and recommendations. If you’re worried about slipped or missing slates and tiles and damp timbers or stains in the loft, we can find out what’s behind it.
Many London homes have been converted into flats, extended at the back or given a loft conversion with a dormer. Each change adds roof details, such as flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in Barnes, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a careful look. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Barnes (SW13, SW15, SW14)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Barnes
Also in Barnes
Common questions in Barnes
How do I find out if my home in Barnes is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Are there drone restrictions around Barnes?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. Barnes is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or a downpour.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it is safe. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft.
When will the report arrive?
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 timetable as you book.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys run seven days a week. To arrange a date, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and details are available on request.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The size of the roof
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
Helping us price your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- The kind of building and roof involved
- The address and postcode of the property
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
What happens on the day
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. From the street, a London terrace usually shows only its front slope or parapet, so a visit in Barnes moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed ahead of time.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Book a survey
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Practical tips
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Book once your offer is accepted
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. 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.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, ideally once the leaves have dropped. Blocked gutters cause much of the damp we see. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Barnes?
Rear extensions, dormers and garages frequently have flat roofs. Felt flat roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. A buyer can easily miss them, particularly when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
Problems we come across often include:
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Take an older house close to Barnes Methodist Church: a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Questions to ask before you book
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Are they insured for the work?
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Buying a home or a new roof in Barnes
The flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea comes within about 1 mile of Barnes. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the exact boundary for the address before flying. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Barnes is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
Historic houses such as Chiswick House, about 0.9 miles north-west, show how far back building around Barnes goes. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later. For landlords with property near Barnes Bridge station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Barnes is about 2 miles west of Fulham, in Greater London. In Barnes, as across Greater London, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. There is also a page for London.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in SW13, SW15 and SW14 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Church Road, Station Road and Barnes High Street and the roads around them. Barnes sits on or near the A306 and B349, so getting to you is simple. We also cover Old Chiswick (1 mile north), Turnham Green (1 mile north-west), Mortlake (1 mile south-west), East Sheen (1 mile south-west) and Putney (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (7 miles east), City of Westminster (5 miles north-east), Marylebone (5 miles north-east), Kensington (3 miles north-east), St Pancras (7 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Barnes
We work in homes and buildings around Chiswick School, Sun Inn and Barn Elms. Nearby too are Polish Library POSK in London (1.4 miles north) and The Harrodian School (0.6 miles north). Barnes has its own railway station: Barnes Bridge station. Well-known places in the area include Barnes Hospital (0.7 miles south-west) and Putney Exchange (1.4 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens Lake.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Without a survey, you’re relying on a glance from the pavement. That will not show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. We fill that gap before you’re tied in, with photos of anything that needs attention. Any roof job in Barnes means planning around parking, neighbours and access. Knowing what’s needed early gives you time to plan it calmly, rather than in a rush after a leak.
To find out what your survey will cost, call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Why book us in Barnes
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Visits on any day of the week
- An independent look at the roof
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.