Greater London · London and the South East
Crossness Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Crossness from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
When to book a survey in Crossness
Many roofs have had quick fixes over the years. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can point to a problem that keeps coming back. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
Most people get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
Historic houses such as Rainham Hall, about 2.8 miles north-east, show how far back building around Crossness goes. If you are buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
What to check before booking
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Is VAT included in the price?
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
Pre-purchase roof survey in Crossness: what you get
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. Our survey picks it out, with photographs that show you exactly where. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. We survey clay and concrete tiles, lead flashings and valleys and gutters and downpipes, and common reasons people get in touch are blistered or split felt on a flat roof and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem.
Many London homes have been converted into flats, extended at the back or given a loft conversion with a dormer. Each change adds roof details, such as flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. If you’re buying a flat or house in Crossness, or have just had new roofing work done, those junctions are often where problems start. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Crossness (SE2, SE28, DA18)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Crossness
Other services in Crossness
Common questions in Crossness
Is drone flying allowed in Crossness?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Crossness is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. Before any flight there, we ask the airport for permission, and the flight only goes ahead if it’s 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. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Crossness?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot, so mention what’s available when you book.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
How long will you be at the property?
The visit normally takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We’ll confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. You’ll have photos and a written description of each defect, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access when you book.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
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 around your tenants.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Buying a home or a new roof in Crossness
Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new. Crossness is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. If the drone is used for your survey, permission from the airport is needed first, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of the Cross, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming. Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for Crossness.
Crossness is about 2 miles north-west of Erith, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Crossness and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and South East England. Crossness is one of the towns and villages in Greater London we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also survey roofs in London.
Here we cover the SE2, SE28 and DA18 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Whether your property is on Kale Road, Haldane Road and Seacourt Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Being close to the A2016, Crossness is easy for us to reach. If you’re just outside Crossness, we cover Thamesmead (1 mile north-west), Dagenham Dock (1 mile north), Barking Riverside (2 miles north-west), Hornchurch Marshes (2 miles north-east) and Dagenham Green (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include London (10 miles west), City of Westminster (12 miles west), Marylebone (12 miles west), Kensington (14 miles west), St Pancras (11 miles west) and Shoreditch (9 miles west).
What’s near Crossness
Typical jobs here are in homes near Lesnes Abbey Woods, Harris Garrard Academy and Belvedere Working Mens Club pub, among other places. Crossness’s nearest station is Abbey Wood station, about 0.8 miles south-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Erith and District Hospital (2.1 miles south-east) and Gallions Reach Shopping Park (2.4 miles west). Not far away are Crossness Nature Reserve.
What happens if roof problems are left?
A seller may honestly not know the state of the roof. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today, whatever anyone remembers. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. That’s a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan, rather than in a rush after a leak.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Crossness
- A photo-illustrated written report
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Crossness
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
How the survey works
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes an hour or two for a house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Crossness runs like any other.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We look at the roof from ground level, from windows, from the roof space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Keep pets in another room
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.