Greater London · London and the South East
Bickley Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys across Bickley, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
Pre-purchase roof survey in Bickley: what you get
A Basic Survey starts from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. Standard adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where it applies and an in-person consultation. Choose the level that suits the home you are buying. Every package comes with a written report, photos and recommendations. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, gutters and downpipes and chimney stacks, and people most often book us about cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing and slipped or missing slates and tiles.
In London, a good many houses have been split into flats, extended or fitted with a dormer loft conversion. Every alteration brings new junctions, flashings and flat-roof areas to look at. For a purchase in Bickley, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a proper look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Bickley (BR1, BR2, BR7)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips that help
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Let us know your timetable
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. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we can’t promise any result.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Questions from Bickley
Is drone flying allowed in Bickley?
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. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Bickley?
London parking needs a little planning, so let us know about permits, bays or a driveway when you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
It usually takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It works alongside a home survey.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Bickley
In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. 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.
As a London address, Bickley can be tricky for parking: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book, as a space near the door cannot be promised. For an older house near a landmark like Church of St George, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Bickley is about 1 mile east of Bromley, in Greater London. Bickley gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Bickley is one of the places in Greater London where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We work across BR1, BR2 and BR7 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We cover properties on Golf Road, The Avenue and Canon Road. If you’re just outside Bickley, we cover Widmore (1 mile north), Elmstead (1 mile north), Chislehurst (1 mile north-east), Bromley (1 mile west) and Sundridge (1 mile north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (9 miles north-west), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles north-west), St Pancras (11 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north-west).
What’s near Bickley
We work in homes and buildings around Bird In Hand Public House, Holy Trinity College Bromley and Jubilee Country Park. Bickley has its own railway station: Bickley station. Other landmarks nearby include Bethlem Museum of the Mind (1.5 miles south-west) and The Mall (1.3 miles west). The countryside around Bickley includes Summer Hill and The Tarn.
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
Parapet and box gutters are hidden behind walls and can overflow inside. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many leaks start at a flashing, so we look at each one closely. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
More services for Bickley
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Bickley
Viewings rarely include a proper look at the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight. New paint on a ceiling can hide old water stains, so a closer look is worth having before you commit.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
With Bromley Palace about 1.1 miles west, the area around Bickley has a long history. If you are buying an older home nearby, it is worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Before you book anyone
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- What they will not be able to tell you
- What happens after the report arrives
What we do, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes an hour or two for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that’s the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Otherwise, the visit in Bickley runs like any other.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Book a survey
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us and give us some details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Related advice
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Checking the roof from ground level
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground.