Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Chilson, Oxfordshire
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Chilson. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Chilson
Buying a home is a big commitment, and the roof is one of the costliest parts to put right. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you’re tied in. We look at the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, plus the loft where there’s safe access. You get a written report with photos. Common reasons to book are lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing, across lead flashings and valleys, chimney stacks and clay and concrete tiles.
Being in a small place like Chilson makes no difference to the inspection itself: it just means planning the journey and access beforehand. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at when you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked on any day of the week.
It is not only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Where
- Chilson (OX7)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Chilson?
Gutter problems often look minor from the street. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Hidden gutters behind parapets or in roof valleys can send water indoors. We check them as part of the survey.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Take an older house close to Church of All Saints: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What experience they bring
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How long the report takes to arrive
Why get it checked now?
Lots of buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. The report shows what needs doing first, so you can plan work before small faults get bigger. In a place like Chilson, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and the package you choose.
Why book us in Chilson
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Every finding written up with photos
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- PI and public liability insurance
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Honest limits
A survey is a close look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
DIY checks: what’s safe
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Chilson: your questions answered
Is my home in Chilson listed or in a conservation area?
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.
Is Chilson in the area you cover?
Yes, Chilson is within the area we cover. We work right across London and South East England. Just call 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the property.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you when you book.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Buying a home or a new roof in Chilson
What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, ideally before any re-roofing is planned. West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Landlords with a home close to Ascott-Under-Wychwood station may find that a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Chilson is about 6 miles north of Witney, in Oxfordshire. In Chilson, as across Oxfordshire, every roof gets the same careful survey. Chilson is one of the places in Oxfordshire where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. There is also a page for Oxford.
Every address in OX7 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Pudlicote Lane and School Lane. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Shorthampton (1 mile north-east), Ascott-under-Wychwood (1 mile south-west), Ascott d'Oyley (1 mile south-west), Ascott Earl (1 mile south-west) and Chadlington (2 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Banbury (15 miles north-east), Witney (6 miles south), Carterton (8 miles south), Faringdon (15 miles south), Kidlington (11 miles east) and Chipping Norton (5 miles north).
What’s near Chilson
The nearest railway station is Ascott-Under-Wychwood station, about 1.2 miles west. The countryside around Chilson includes Blenheim Farm.
More services for Chilson
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Chilson
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. The main factors are:
- Roof area
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
What to tell us when you contact us
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The property’s address and postcode
- What made you get in touch
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What happens on the day
We will ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Around Chilson, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. We only go where it’s safe.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
How to prepare
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Book a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll explain the options and the price.