Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Bexley, Greater London
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Bexley, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Pre-purchase roof survey in Bexley: what you get
Buying a home is a big commitment, and the roof is one of the costliest parts to put right. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you are tied in. We check the coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, and the loft space where it is safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. We are often asked to look into blistered or split felt on a flat roof and slipped or missing slates and tiles, on lead flashings and valleys, chimney stacks and natural slate.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, and a home in Bexley could be any of them. Whether you’re buying or have just had a roof replaced, the details that cause trouble depend on the age of the building. Slate roofs, butterfly valleys, parapet gutters and flat-roofed rear additions each have their own weak points.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photograph. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Location
- Bexley (DA5, DA6, DA14, DA1)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- A structural engineer’s report
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
Places near Bexley
Also in Bexley
Surveys for landlords and agents in Bexley
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Landlords and letting agents in Bexley book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photos, useful for planning maintenance.
How it works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Surveys in Bexley can be booked for any day of the week. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it is useful to know what’s near you, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- You book once your offer is accepted and let us know the address and your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- 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.
- We email a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
We confirm the price for your survey before booking, so you know the cost up front. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Why get it checked now?
It’s tempting to skip the roof to keep a sale moving. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and a Premium report comes the same day, so it can fit around a tight timetable. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so a slipped slate can soon mean water inside. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Photos and a written report every time
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Weekday and weekend surveys
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Common questions in Bexley
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Bexley?
Sometimes, yes. If Bexley has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer, and a driveway is even better.
Is drone flying allowed in Bexley?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. 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. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
How long will you be at the property?
On site, it normally takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Do you need access inside the house?
Ideally, yes. We look in the roof space where there’s safe access, and upstairs windows give useful views. Access is normally arranged through the agent or seller.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and doesn’t replace one.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Tips from our surveys
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Watch for stains or fresh paint on ceilings below the roof
- Don’t leave it until just before exchange
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.
What we are asked to look at in Bexley
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.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
What to check before booking
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- When you’ll get the report
- Their insurance cover
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Bexley
With Red House about 0.9 miles north, Bexley sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
If you own a rental within reach of Bexley station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. Parking in Bexley, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier, as a space near the door cannot be promised.
Bexley is about 3 miles east of Eltham, in Greater London. Anywhere in Bexley, we can come and survey your property. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: DA5, DA6, DA14 and DA1. Local streets include Bexley High Street, Camden Road and The North Glade. You’ll find Bexley on the A2018 and B2210, so it is easy for us to get to. If you’re just outside Bexley, we cover Blendon (1 mile north-west), North Cray (1 mile south), Bexleyheath (1 mile north), Upton (1 mile north) and Coldblow (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (11 miles west), City of Westminster (13 miles west), Marylebone (13 miles north-west), Kensington (15 miles west), St Pancras (12 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (11 miles north-west).
Around Bexley
Typical jobs here are in homes near St Columba's Catholic Boys' School, Danson Park and Townley Grammar School and the streets around them. Bexley’s nearest station is Bexley station, roughly 0.6 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Broadway Shopping Centre (1 mile north-east) and Bexley Museum (1.1 miles east). For a walk, there’s Summer Hill and Wansunt Pit.