Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Burford
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Burford. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Burford?
The fixings and underlay frequently fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but corroded nails let slates slip. It’s a frequent finding on older houses.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St John the Baptist, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- What they will not be able to tell you
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Burford
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where applicable, a drone inspection, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey the roof space, natural slate and chimney stacks, and people most often book us about roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and worn or lifted lead flashings.
Houses in smaller places like Burford can stand more in the open than those in a built-up town, which can mean more wind and rain on the roof. Ridges, verges and flashings are where that weather typically shows first. Whether you are buying or signing off new work, those edges deserve a careful look. Wind lifts anything already loose, so a small fault on an exposed roof does not stay small for long.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Burford (OX18)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for Burford property owners
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Ask for loft access on the day
The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, and the Premium Survey includes an in-person consultation. Whichever package you choose, you can ask us what a finding means.
Every so frequently, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
How the survey works
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. If you have questions on the day, just ask. For a survey in Burford, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- 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
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Getting a price
For a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Burford, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. Some details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
Can I check my roof myself?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking, as it helps us focus the survey.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
Burford questions
Is Burford in the area you cover?
Yes. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and Burford is part of that. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Do you cover smaller places like Burford?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
How do I book a survey in Burford?
The quickest way is to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof. We survey on any day of the week.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That gives you time to use the findings.
What insurance do you have?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. What the seller agrees to is their decision, so we cannot promise any saving.
Why it is worth a survey now in Burford
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Spotting it before you buy means you know about it from day one. With lower homes, common in places like Burford, there’s little between a roof defect and the ceiling, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
For a price for your roof in Burford, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and some details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
What you get with us
- A report with photographs
- Surveys seven days a week
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
What we can’t see
Before you book, it’s worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Burford
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Minster Lovell Hall, about 4.4 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Burford. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you let a flat or house near Shipton station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Burford is about 3 miles north-west of Carterton, in Oxfordshire. We visit Burford as part of our work across Oxfordshire. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Oxford.
We survey roofs across OX18 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. You will find streets such as High Street, Lower High Street and Swan Lane, and we cover them all. Burford sits on or near the A40 and A361, which makes travel easy. If you are just outside Burford, we cover Fulbrook (1 mile north-east), Little Barrington (3 miles west), Milton-under-Wychwood (4 miles north), Fifield (4 miles north) and Idbury (5 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Witney (6 miles east), Carterton (3 miles south-east), Faringdon (11 miles south), Kidlington (15 miles east), Chipping Norton (10 miles north) and Woodstock (13 miles east).
What’s near Burford
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Burford School and The Royal Oak Public House. The nearest railway station is Shipton station, roughly 4.5 miles north-east.