Greater London · London and the South East
Clare Market Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Clare Market, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Pre-purchase roof survey in Clare Market
Some roofs can’t be seen well from ground level or from windows. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where applicable, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and look from ground level, windows and the loft instead. If you’re worried about worn or lifted lead flashings and damp timbers or stains in the loft, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
London terraces and converted houses often share a roof line, chimney stacks and gutters with the house next door. For a purchase or a new roof in Clare Market, that shapes what can be checked: only the parts we’re given access to and can see safely are inspected. If it’s a flat, the lease normally sets out who is responsible for the roof.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent.
- Where
- Clare Market (WC2H, W1D, WC2B)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
A survey is a close look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will recommend the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
What we are asked to look at in Clare Market
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.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Flashings that have lifted or split
As a London address, Clare Market can be tricky for parking: let us know about parking bays, permits or a driveway when you book, as a space near the door can’t be promised.
Before booking anyone
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
To find out what your survey will cost, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Booking your survey
These details help when you get in touch:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Anything about access we should know
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form, let us know about the property and we will recommend the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Questions from Clare Market
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Clare Market?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot.
Are there drone restrictions around Clare Market?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Clare Market is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. We check the exact boundary for the address before flying, and if the roof falls inside it, we ask for permission first. The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 2 miles from Clare Market. We check whether the address falls inside it, and if it does we apply for permission, which is not always given. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
How quickly will I get the report?
That depends on which survey you choose: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Let us know your timetable when you book.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
How experienced are you?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, over more than 20 years, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
For landlords and managing agents
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work with less disruption.
How the survey works
There is not much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. For a visit in Clare Market, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at whatever is safely visible from ground level, windows, the loft and, where it is safe, the roof itself.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
How to prepare
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A lot can be seen 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.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Places near Clare Market
Other services in Clare Market
Local roofs and buyers in Clare Market
Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. Clare Market is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. If your survey includes the drone, the exact boundary is checked for the address first.
For an older house near a landmark such as Enon Chapel, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges. With Dr Johnson's House about 0.4 miles east, the area around Clare Market has a long history. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later.
Clare Market is about 1 mile south of St Pancras, in Greater London. From houses to flats and shops in Clare Market, the roof can be surveyed. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages.
Here we cover the WC2H, W1D and WC2B postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Drury Lane, New Square and Old Square or a nearby road, we can survey it. Main roads around Clare Market include the A4 and A301, which makes travel easy. If you are just outside Clare Market, we cover Aldwych (1 mile south), Temple Bar (1 mile east), Covent Garden (1 mile south-west), Temple (1 mile south-east) and Seven Dials (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (13 miles west), Stockwell (3 miles south) and Orpington (13 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Clare Market
In Clare Market, that means homes and buildings near Lincoln's Inn Fields, London Nautical School and LSE Shaw Library. Also close by are Ye Old White Horse pub (less than half a mile north) and Mercers' School (less than half a mile north-east). For rail, the closest station is London Charing Cross station, about 0.6 miles south-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include St Philip's Hospital (less than half a mile north-west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.7 miles east). For a walk, there’s Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.