Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Cranham
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Cranham, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
Why act early in Cranham
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Spotting it before you buy lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. London’s older roofs often have bitumen felt underlay or none at all, so a slipped slate can soon mean water inside. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
Why us?
- An independent view of the roof
- Visits on any day of the week
- Photographs and a written report every time
- 98% of clients satisfied
See what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Cranham
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it’s checked as far as access allows. Typical surveys look at worn or lifted lead flashings and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem, across lead flashings and valleys, chimney stacks and the roof space.
London terraces and converted houses often share a roof line, chimney stacks and gutters with the house next door, with parapet walls and party-wall upstands marking where one roof ends and the next begins. That matters for anyone buying in Cranham or checking a new roof there: 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.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Location
- Cranham (RM14)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Cranham
Also in Cranham
Different roofs, different checks
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Rotten pegs let tiles slide.
Natural slate
Older slate roofs frequently have bitumen felt under them, and very old ones may have none. From inside the roof space, we report what we can see of it.
Practical tips
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Check we’ll be able to get into the loft space
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
It’s worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Keep the loft ventilated. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air can’t flow.
How it works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. That way we can focus on what matters to you. The visit normally takes about one to two hours at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so in Cranham we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed ahead of time.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
How to book
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Related advice
Buying a home or a new roof in Cranham
In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
If you let a flat or house near Upminster station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one. Parking in Cranham, as in most of London, takes a little planning: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking. Hare Hall lies about 3 miles north-west, so building around Cranham goes back a long way. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
Cranham is about 2 miles east of Hornchurch, in Greater London. Cranham is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: RM14. Streets in the area include Avon Road, Moor Lane and Front Lane, and we cover them all. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Upminster (1 mile west), Puddle Dock (1 mile east), Upminster Bridge (1 mile west), North Ockendon (2 miles south-east) and Emerson Park (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover Shoreditch (15 miles west), Walthamstow (13 miles west), Hoxton (15 miles west), Whitechapel (15 miles west), Orpington (14 miles south-west) and Plaistow (11 miles west).
Local landmarks in Cranham
In Cranham, that means homes and buildings near The James Oglethorpe Primary School, The Crumpled Horn pub and St. Andrew's Park, among other places. Cranham’s nearest station is Upminster station, about 0.7 miles west. A little further out are The Mercury Mall (3.7 miles west) and Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (0.6 miles north-west). Not far away are Cranham Brickfields.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Cranham
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which can make access easier.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
Checking the roof from ground level
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Cranham questions
Is drone flying allowed in Cranham?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions, including zones around airports and prisons. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Cranham?
It depends on the street. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well.
Do you work in Cranham?
Yes. We cover Cranham and the rest of Greater London. For a price, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey seven days a week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you when you book.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we’ll arrange another day with you.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, such as 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.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.