Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Charlton, Hertfordshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Charlton, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Tips that help
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
With Standard, you get a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey includes an in-person consultation. Whichever package you choose, you can ask us what a finding means.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Charlton: what you get
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you’re tied in. 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. Common reasons to book are patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and worn or lifted lead flashings, across the roof space, lead flashings and valleys and chimney stacks.
Somewhere as small as Charlton, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
After the visit, you get a written report with photos, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the roof, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Charlton (SG5)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we’re asked to look at in Charlton
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Good slate can last well over a century, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. That kind of wear is common on older roofs and easy to miss from the ground.
Common reasons to book include:
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
If you let a flat or house near Hitchin station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Before booking anyone
- Their insurance cover
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
When we price a survey, we consider:
- The size of the roof
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Which survey package you book
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. You’ll know the price for your roof before booking.
What we need to know
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- When you need the report by
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The kind of building and roof involved
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, frequently over an extension. Felt frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Natural slate
Older slate roofs often have bitumen felt under them, and very old ones may have none. Where we can see it from the loft, we say what condition it is in.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
If you own several properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To arrange surveys for several addresses, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the addresses.
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Other services in Charlton
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Charlton
Is my home in Charlton listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Charlton in the area you cover?
Yes, Charlton is within the area we cover. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the property.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and doesn’t replace one.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Charlton homes and their roofs
Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
For an older house near a landmark such as St Mary's Church, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Charlton is about 1 mile south-west of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. We survey roofs in Charlton and the rest of Hertfordshire. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Milton Keynes page.
Surveys in SG5 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Gosmore (1 mile south-east), Hitchin (1 mile north-east), Benslow (1 mile north-east), Bearton (1 mile north) and Westmill (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Hemel Hempstead (15 miles south-west), Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (13 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (9 miles south) and Hatfield (12 miles south).
Landmarks near Charlton
In Charlton, that means homes and buildings near Hitchin Boys' School, The Three Moorhens Public House and Kingshott School, among other places. The closest station to Charlton is Hitchin station, roughly 1.4 miles north-east. A little further out are North Hertfordshire Museum (0.8 miles north-east) and Lister Hospital (3.3 miles east). For a walk, there is Markham's Hill and Oughtonhead Nature Reserve.
The survey, step by step
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. After that, we check everything we can see safely, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where applicable. Most surveys take an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Older rural homes like those around Charlton can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Getting a price
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before booking.