Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Canning Town
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you spend money on it. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Canning Town.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Canning Town
We survey roofs for buyers in Canning Town and across London and the South East. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We survey the roof space, lead flashings and valleys and clay and concrete tiles, and the problems we are asked to look at most are slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and quick fixes on flashings and valleys.
In London, plenty of houses have been split into flats, extended or fitted with a dormer loft conversion. Each change adds roof details, like flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in Canning Town, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a careful look. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Canning Town (E16, E13, E6)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Canning Town
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Canning Town and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Buying a home or a new roof in Canning Town
With Queen's House about 2.7 miles south-west, Canning Town sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. Canning Town is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. If the drone is used for your survey, permission from the airport is needed first, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near St Cedd's Church, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. For a London address like Canning Town, it helps to know about controlled parking before the day. For landlords with property near Custom House station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Canning Town is about 5 miles east of London, in Greater London. From houses to flats and shops in Canning Town, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small.
We cover every part of E16, E13 and E6 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Ivy Road, Star Lane and Bell Lane and the roads around them. You’ll find Canning Town on the A1020, so it is easy for us to get to. We also cover the places around Canning Town: Custom House (1 mile south), Plaistow (1 mile north), Limmo Peninsula (1 mile west), West Silvertown (1 mile south) and Leamouth (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns like London (5 miles west), City of Westminster (8 miles west), Marylebone (7 miles west), Kensington (10 miles west), St Pancras (6 miles west) and Shoreditch (5 miles west).
Local landmarks in Canning Town
In Canning Town, that means homes and buildings near Royal Docks Academy, Keir Hardie Park and The Royal Docks Community School, among other places. There is a railway station in Canning Town itself: Custom House station. Nearby you will also find Greenwich Castle (2.8 miles south-west) and West Ham United Football Club Museum (1.4 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Gilbert's Pit and Hollow Pond.
Roof by roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Rotten pegs let tiles slide.
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.
Nearby places to Canning Town
Also in Canning Town
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The roof’s overall size
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
What we need to know
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- What kind of property and roof it is
- What’s prompted the survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Questions from Canning Town
Is drone flying allowed in Canning Town?
Normally it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. The flight restriction zone around London City Airport covers Canning Town, 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’s given. 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. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Canning Town?
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.
Do you cover Canning Town?
Yes. We survey roofs across London and South East England, Canning Town included.
Can I take the findings back to 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, so we can’t promise any saving.
What if it rains on the day?
It can, depending on the survey. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. We’ll rearrange with you if the weather is not right.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
On site, it normally takes roughly 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.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Why get it checked now?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit on weekdays and at weekends, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, so it can fit around a tight timetable. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What you get with us
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
What we cannot see
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes about one to two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In Canning Town, as in much of London, lots of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, tell us when booking.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Before we arrive
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Getting a price
If you are buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.