Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Dorchester
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Dorchester, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Old water stains in the loft space
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
Pre-purchase roof survey in Dorchester
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. We cannot say how a seller will respond, but you will be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. Common reasons to book are blocked or leaking gutters and a ridge or slope that dips, on lead flashings and valleys, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and gutters and downpipes.
In a village or hamlet like Dorchester, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Each covering has its own weak points, whether the roof is old or newly laid. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
Where we cannot see part of the roof, the report says so. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Dorchester (OX10)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Also near Dorchester
Other services in Dorchester
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Dorchester
About 2 miles west lies Clifton Hampden Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Dorchester has been built on. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
The streets around a church such as Dorchester Abbey are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Dorchester is about 4 miles north-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. Dorchester gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
Surveys in OX10 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Streets in the area include High Street, Queen Street and Queens Close, all of which we cover. Other places close to Dorchester include Burcot (1 mile north-west), Little Wittenham (1 mile south-west), Berinsfield (1 mile north), Warborough (1 mile east) and Shillingford (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (8 miles north), Didcot (4 miles south-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (5 miles north-west), Thame (11 miles north-east), Wantage (12 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (14 miles south-east).
Around Dorchester
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The White Hart Hotel Bar, among other places. The nearest railway station is Culham station, about 3.1 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Brightwell Castle (2.3 miles south) and Littlemore Hospital (5.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Ewelme Watercress Beds and Wittenham Clumps.
How it works
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that is worrying you. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where it applies. The survey usually takes between one and two hours for most houses; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. In a hamlet or village like Dorchester, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
How to book
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The size of the roof
- Which survey package you book
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What we need to know
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. It’s enough to let us know:
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- What made you get in touch
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
We confirm the price for your roof before you book, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
For landlords and managing agents
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
Letting agents and landlords in Dorchester book surveys as well as homeowners. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the roof.
FAQs for Dorchester
Do you cover Dorchester?
Yes, Dorchester is within the area we cover. Our area covers London and the South East. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the property, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Will you come out to Dorchester?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it.
When will the report arrive?
That depends on which survey you choose: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Let us know your exchange date and we will help you choose.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
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. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access; we’ll agree the details as you book.
Common roof problems in Dorchester
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can be signs that something has leaked before. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- A ridge or slope that dips
Landlords with a home close to Culham station may find that it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Before you book anyone
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Which limits apply to the survey
- What follow-up you get after the report
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Request records of any re-roofing
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. Binoculars from ground level are enough for a first look.