Greater London · London and the South East
Blackfriars Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Blackfriars and the rest of Greater London. Surveys run on any day of the week.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Blackfriars
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. At that point you can still ask questions, because nothing is binding yet. We survey on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when the chain is moving fast. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Common reasons to book are lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and slates or tiles that have slipped or gone, across clay and concrete tiles, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
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. If you’re buying a flat or house in Blackfriars, or have just had new roofing work done, those junctions are often where problems start. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Blackfriars (SE1, EC1M, EC1N)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
Standing water, blisters, splits and tired upstands all point to wear. Blocked outlets are checked as well, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
What we are asked to look at in Blackfriars
The fixings and underlay often fail before good slates or tiles do. Good slate can last well over a century, but corroded nails let slates slip. It’s a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from the ground.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Take an older house close to St Ann Blackfriars: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Before you book anyone
- What experience they bring
- Whether the price includes VAT
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether you get a written report with photos
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Blackfriars
The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 1 mile from Blackfriars. If your survey includes the drone, we check whether the address falls inside it before flying. The wider area around Blackfriars has a long history of building, with Dr Johnson's House about 0.2 miles north-west. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you let a flat or house near London Blackfriars station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. As a London address, Blackfriars can be tricky for parking: let us know about parking bays, permits or a driveway when you book.
Blackfriars is about 1 mile north-west of London, in Greater London. Whether the building in Blackfriars is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. Blackfriars is one of the places in Greater London we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in SE1, EC1M and EC1N work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include Oat Lane, Bear Lane and Shoe Lane, and we cover them all. You will find Blackfriars on the A4 and A40, which makes it straightforward to reach. We also cover the places around Blackfriars: Temple (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile west), Bankside (1 mile south-east), Smithfield (1 mile north) and Clare Market (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (3 miles south).
Local landmarks in Blackfriars
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Barts Health Archives, St Mary-at-Hill and St Alban's Church of England Primary School. You’ll also find Bernie Spain Gardens (under half a mile south-west), London Nautical School (0.5 miles south-west) and The Black Friar pub (less than half a mile south-east). There’s a railway station in Blackfriars itself: London Blackfriars station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (within half a mile north-east) and St Brides Crypt Museum (within half a mile north-west). Not far away are Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.
Blackfriars questions
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Blackfriars?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Blackfriars is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. If a roof falls inside it, we apply for permission before flying, and the flight only goes ahead if it’s granted. 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. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Blackfriars?
Sometimes, yes. If Blackfriars has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer.
How long does the survey visit take?
Allow between one and two hours at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. What the seller agrees to is their decision.
How many surveys have you done?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
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. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
What happens on the day
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. You are welcome to ask questions while we’re there. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Getting a price
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we will point you to the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Related advice
Landlord and commercial surveys in Blackfriars
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait.
We survey roofs for landlords and letting agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photos, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Tips that help
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
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.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.