Essex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Braintree
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Braintree and the rest of Essex. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Useful tips for Braintree property owners
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Our tips:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Tell us your exchange date as you book
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. They’ll see exactly what we found, and where, so each quote covers the same ground.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Braintree
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. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be asking from facts rather than guesses. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. If you’ve noticed blistered or split felt on a flat roof and loose pots and cracked flaunching, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Flats above shops, converted houses and newer blocks are common in places the size of Braintree. For a flat, the roof is usually a shared part of the building, so the lease matters. Where a roof has just been replaced, it’s worth having it checked before the work is signed off.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Braintree (CM7, CO9, CM77, CO6)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Braintree. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Letting agents and landlords in Braintree book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, useful for planning maintenance.
Why act early in Braintree
After exchange, any roof defect is yours to deal with. Before then, you can still ask questions, ask for work to be done or reconsider. A survey after you’ve moved in tells you the same things, but with far less room to act on them. Whatever the age of a roof in Braintree, small defects only grow if they’re left. What starts as a cracked flashing or a blocked outlet becomes wet timber and stained ceilings in time.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- An independent look at the roof
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Read what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings close the gaps at chimneys, walls and abutments. We check whether they’ve lifted, split or been replaced with mortar or bitumen.
Chimney stacks
A stack stands exposed above the roof line. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings.
Honest limits
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
How it works
There is not much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Town-centre streets in Braintree can mean pay-and-display or permit parking, so a word about where to park saves time. We will want to see the loft, if there is one, and any ceiling or wall showing damp. Outside, we work round the building to find the safe viewpoints.
- 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’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Find any records of previous roof work
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Book a survey
To get a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Braintree, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us give you an accurate price.
Read more
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Braintree
There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so the council is the place to ask. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
For landlords with property near Braintree station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. If you live in an older home near Congregational Church, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Braintree is about 39 miles north-east of London, in Essex. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Braintree for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: CM7, CO9, CM77 and CO6. Whether your property is on Market Street, Little Square and Great Square or a nearby road, we can help. Braintree is on the A12 and A120, so it is easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Bocking (1 mile west), Long Green (2 miles south-east), Great Notley (2 miles south-west), Black Notley (2 miles south) and Row Green (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Colchester (14 miles east), Chelmsford (11 miles south), Maldon (12 miles south-east), Witham (6 miles south-east), Camulodunum (13 miles east) and Halstead (5 miles north-east). Being one of Essex’s larger places, Braintree has every kind of building, from houses and flats to offices.
Local landmarks in Braintree
In Braintree, that means homes and buildings near Edith Borthwick School, Bocking Blackwater and Angel Inn. The closest station to Braintree is Braintree station, roughly 0.5 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include Tudor House Museum (Braintree) (under half a mile north-west) and St Michael's Hospital (0.9 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Belcher's and Broadfield Woods.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Braintree
Do you cover Braintree?
Yes, Braintree is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
How do I find out if my home in Braintree is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It can, depending on the survey. Drones can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. If the conditions are not right, we’ll talk to you about another date.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the freeholder or managing agent. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes, you can. The report sets out what we found, with photos, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. We can’t promise how the seller will respond.