Kent · London and the South East
Canterbury Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Canterbury from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
FAQs for Canterbury
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Canterbury?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
How should I get ready for a visit in Canterbury?
Very little. Unlock side gates, keep pets in another room and dig out any invoices from past roof work, and the visit in Canterbury can get straight on.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Will you need to get into the loft?
If it can be arranged, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Canterbury
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. Our pre-purchase roof survey gives you a proper look at it before you are committed. We check the coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, and the loft space where it’s safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. We survey gutters and downpipes, natural slate and chimney stacks, and people most often book us about blocked or leaking gutters and slipped or missing slates and tiles.
Canterbury is big enough to have housing from every era, from older terraces and villas to post-war estates and recent developments. A roof on a Victorian house fails in different ways from one on a 1960s semi or a new build. That is why the age and type of roof shape what the inspection concentrates on, for a purchase or a new roof alike.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photographs show what each point refers to.
- Where
- Canterbury (CT1, CT2, CT4, CT3)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
Before you book, it is worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Canterbury
England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. 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. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Landlords with a home close to Canterbury East station may find that a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St Margaret, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Canterbury is in Kent. We survey roofs in Canterbury and the rest of Kent. Canterbury is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work.
We work across CT1, CT2, CT4 and CT3 for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Long Market, High Street and High Street St Gregorys or a nearby road, we can survey it. Main roads around Canterbury include the A2 and A28. We also cover Wincheap (1 mile south-west), Harbledown (1 mile west), Hales Place (1 mile north), Thanington (1 mile south-west) and Stuppington (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include Ashford (13 miles south-west), Margate (15 miles north-east), Dover (14 miles south-east), Folkestone (14 miles south), Ramsgate (15 miles east) and Whitstable (6 miles north-west). Canterbury is one of the larger places we cover in Kent.
Near you in Canterbury
Around Canterbury, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Canterbury School of Architecture, Bus Company Island and St Thomas of Canterbury Church. You will also find The Old Buttermarket pub (under half a mile south-west) and Barton Court Grammar School (0.5 miles east). Canterbury has its own railway station: Canterbury East station. A little further out are Whitefriars Shopping Centre (less than half a mile south-west) and Canterbury Roman Museum (less than half a mile south). For a walk, there is Blean Woods RSPB Reserve.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
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. Don’t go up yourself.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Canterbury
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Roof area
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
Before you get in touch, it’s useful to have:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- What made you get in touch
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The address and postcode of the property
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you are ready.
What happens on the day
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. In busier parts of Canterbury, parking can be tight, so tell us about driveways, permits or nearby car parks. On the day, we look at the roof from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe, with the drone where applicable.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before the survey
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Tiled roofs frequently last half a century or longer. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, and for mismatched replacements that point to past repairs.
Gutters and parapets
Some older terraces have a butterfly roof with a central valley gutter. If the home you are buying has one, that gutter and its outlet get a careful look.
Nearby places to Canterbury
More services for Canterbury
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Canterbury and across Kent can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.