Reading · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Chazey Heath, Reading
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Chazey Heath, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- A ridge or slope that dips
FAQs for Chazey Heath
Is Chazey Heath within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Is my home in Chazey Heath listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. We look at the parts we’re given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It is not a replacement for a RICS survey.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes, you can. The report sets out what we found, with photos, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. We cannot promise how the seller will respond.
How do I book a survey in Chazey Heath?
Simply ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Chazey Heath
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, so the roof is one item among many. Our survey is not a RICS survey, and it doesn’t replace one. What it adds is a closer look at the roof alone, with photos and written recommendations you can act on. The two sit side by side if you want the fullest picture. If you are worried about cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on flat-roofed extensions and dormers, clay and concrete tiles and the roof space alike.
For a small place like Chazey Heath, the visit is planned like any other: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed ahead of time. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at as you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you are buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Place
- Chazey Heath (RG4)
- Region
- Reading
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- A structural engineer’s report
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
Nearby places to Chazey Heath
Also in Chazey Heath
Chazey Heath homes and their roofs
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. The wider area around Chazey Heath has a long history of building, with Mapledurham House about 1.6 miles west. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
The streets around a church like Church of St John the Baptist are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Chazey Heath is about 2 miles north-west of Caversham, in Reading. Anywhere in Chazey Heath, we can carry out pre-purchase roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our Reading coverage includes Chazey Heath and the places around it.
Every address in RG4 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Rokeby Drive and Chazey Close. Close by, we survey roofs in Trench Green (1 mile west), Mapledurham (2 miles west), Purley on Thames (2 miles south-west), Norcot (3 miles south-west) and Tilehurst (3 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover West Reading (3 miles south), Shinfield (6 miles south), Arborfield Garrison (9 miles south-east), Horncastle (3 miles south), Whitley Wood (6 miles south) and Fords Farm (4 miles south).
Around Chazey Heath
Around Chazey Heath, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre, The Pack Saddle pub and The Warwick School, among other places. Chazey Heath’s nearest station is Tilehurst station, roughly 1.9 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Battle Hospital (2.4 miles south) and Royal Berkshire Regiment Museum (2.4 miles south). For a walk, there’s Fobney Island Wetland Reserve and Sonning Hill.
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
A lot can be seen from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Common roof problems in Chazey Heath
The fixings and underlay often fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It’s a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from the ground.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
If you own a rental within reach of Tilehurst station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
What to check before booking
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What insurance they carry
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
What happens on the day
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. The whole visit normally takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Older rural homes like those around Chazey Heath can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the roof space and from the roof where safe.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- We email a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Practical tips
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Ask the agent to check the loft hatch can be opened
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
It is worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Chazey Heath
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.