Surrey · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Capel, Surrey
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Capel. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Old water stains in the loft space
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Capel
The flight restriction zone around Gatwick Airport comes within about 2 miles of Capel. If the drone is used for your survey, we check the exact boundary for the address before flying. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls are typical of Surrey’s older houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old buildings in Surrey. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
If you own a rental within reach of Ockley station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Capel is about 5 miles south of Dorking, in Surrey. Capel gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Capel is one of the towns and villages in Surrey where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also survey roofs in Crawley.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: RH5. That includes homes and businesses on The Street, Laundry Way and Bakers Way. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Ockley (2 miles west), Beare Green (2 miles north), Paynes Green (2 miles south-west), Kingsfold (2 miles south) and Holmwood Corner (3 miles north). Further out, we also cover Guildford (13 miles north-west), Epsom (13 miles north), Horley (7 miles east), Redhill (9 miles north-east), Ewell (14 miles north) and Reigate (8 miles north-east).
Around Capel
The closest station to Capel is Ockley station, about 0.6 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Horsham Hospital (5.6 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Leith Hill and Warnham LNR.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Capel
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey the roof space, natural slate and clay and concrete tiles, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and chimney mortar that has eroded.
Older buildings in small places like Capel may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you are buying or signing off new roofing, it is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Place
- Capel (RH5)
- Region
- Surrey
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
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 Capel and across Surrey can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What we look for on each type of roof
Natural slate
Many older homes in London and the South East have slate roofs. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and South East England. Worn or cracked lead lets water straight into the roof, and missing lead is not unknown, as it is a target for thieves.
Nearby places to Capel
What else we do in Capel
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Capel
Flat roofs turn up on extensions, dormers, porches and garages. Felt flat roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. They’re easy to overlook on a viewing, because many can only be seen from an upstairs window.
Problems we come across often include:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
Take an older house close to Church of St John the Baptist: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What insurance they carry
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What happens after the report arrives
What affects the price in Capel
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The size of the roof
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and the package you choose.
Booking your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- What’s prompted the survey
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The property’s address and postcode
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Deal with the urgent items first, and keep the photos to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months.
Don’t block the vents at the eaves. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Keep insulation clear of eaves vents so air can move.
What happens on the day
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes about 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. Somewhere like Capel needs a little journey planning: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- 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.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
How to book
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
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Questions from Capel
Is drone flying allowed in Capel?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. The flight restriction zone around Gatwick Airport comes within about 2 miles of Capel. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Capel?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
How long does the survey visit take?
On site, it usually takes an hour or two for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Just tell us the days that suit you.
Do you need access inside the house?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If access isn’t possible, we note it in the report.
How experienced are you?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, with 98% customer satisfaction.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.