Essex · London and the South East
Brick End Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Brick End, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
What we do, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. Most surveys take about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. For a village or hamlet like Brick End, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Booking a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Brick End
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that is frequently not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it is checked as far as access allows. If you’ve noticed slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Being in a small place like Brick End makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed in advance. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- Brick End (CM6)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Brick End
What else we do in Brick End
Tips that help
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Let us know your exchange date as you book
It is worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Don’t block the vents at the eaves. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air cannot flow.
What we look for on each type of roof
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.
Gutters and parapets
The rainwater system keeps water off the walls. Leaking joints, sagging lengths and blockages are all noted.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Brick End
Is Brick End within the area you cover?
Yes. Brick End is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Brick End?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. The flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport covers Brick End, or comes right up to its edge. Before any flight there, we ask the airport for permission, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is usually fine; heavy rain and wind are different. High wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
How soon is the report ready?
That depends on which survey you choose: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Tell us your exchange date and we’ll help you choose.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you as you book.
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. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
When to book a survey in Brick End
Blocked or leaking gutters do damage that isn’t obvious at first. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the house. We check them as part of the survey.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
If you let a flat or house near Stansted Airport station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
Brick End homes and their roofs
The wider area around Brick End has a long history of building, with Horham Hall about 2.4 miles north-east. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. The flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport covers Brick End, or comes right up to its edge. If the drone is used for your survey, permission from the airport is needed first, and the flight only goes ahead if it’s given.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary the Virgin, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Brick End is about 6 miles north-east of Bishop's Stortford, in Essex. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Brick End for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Brick End is one of the places in Essex where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Here we cover the CM6 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also cover Broxted (1 mile north), Henham (2 miles north-west), Fuller's End (2 miles west), Elsenham (3 miles west) and Ugley Green (3 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (15 miles south-east), Braintree (12 miles east), Harlow (12 miles south-west), Saffron Walden (8 miles north), Halstead (15 miles east) and Great Dunmow (4 miles south-east).
Around Brick End
The nearest railway station is Stansted Airport station, about 1.7 miles south-west. A little further out are Herts and Essex Hospital (5.6 miles south-west) and House On The Hill Toy Museum (3.6 miles west). For a walk, there is Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve and Portingbury Hills.
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
A survey is a careful look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. Its limits include:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Brick End
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Why get it checked now?
Without a survey, you are relying on a glance from the pavement. That won’t show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. A survey fills that gap before you commit. Older and listed buildings around Brick End may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Prices that include VAT
- An independent look at the roof