Greater London · London and the South East
East Wickham Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in East Wickham from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in East Wickham
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. That’s when the findings are most useful, while you are not yet committed. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Common reasons to book are signs of past leaks inside the loft and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem, on gutters and downpipes, lead flashings and valleys and clay and concrete tiles.
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. For a purchase or a new roof in East Wickham, that shapes what can be checked: only the parts we are given access to and can see safely are inspected. If it’s a flat, the lease usually sets out who is responsible for the roof.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- East Wickham (DA16, SE18, SE2)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips that help
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Let us know your timetable
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions, especially where we have found patch repairs.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Can I check my roof myself?
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.
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.
How the survey works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photographs as we go and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed in advance.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
Arrange a survey
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
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How the survey changes by roof type
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Gutters and parapets
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter, typically to the back of the house. If yours does, we check that gutter and where it drains.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in East Wickham?
Gutter problems frequently 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.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
For landlords with property near Welling station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Before booking anyone
- Are they insured for the work?
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
Nearby places to East Wickham
More services for East Wickham
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in East Wickham
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Roof area
- Which survey package you book
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
Helping us price your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
If you are buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in East Wickham
Danson House, about 1.3 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around East Wickham. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
For an older house near a landmark like St Mary the Virgin, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. For a London address like East Wickham, it helps to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space.
East Wickham is about 1 mile north-west of Welling, in Greater London. Whether the building in East Wickham is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Our Greater London coverage includes East Wickham. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the DA16, SE18 and SE2 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Keats Road, Darwin Road and Edison Road or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside East Wickham, we cover Falconwood (1 mile south), Shooter's Hill (1 mile west), Blackfen (1 mile south), Plumstead (1 mile north-west) and Avery Hill (1 mile south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (8 miles west), City of Westminster (11 miles west), Marylebone (11 miles west), Kensington (13 miles west), St Pancras (10 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-west).
What’s near East Wickham
Around East Wickham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, Welling School and Shoulder of Mutton Green and the streets around them. East Wickham has its own railway station: Welling station. Other landmarks nearby include Broadway Shopping Centre (2.3 miles south-east) and Greenwich Castle (4.3 miles west). Green spaces nearby include The Tarn and Summer Hill.
Common questions in East Wickham
How do I find out if my home in East Wickham is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Is drone flying allowed in East Wickham?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. East Wickham is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. 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. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Do you go up on the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the loft space.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it when booking and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It works alongside a home survey.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That gives you time to use the findings.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and details are available on request.