Essex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Elsenham
Not sure what state the roof is in? You can book a pre-purchase roof survey in Elsenham and across Essex.
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
How the survey works
We will ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. A visit to Elsenham is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed in advance. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- 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.
Before we arrive
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Book a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Elsenham
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where it applies, a drone inspection, along with a same-day report. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we’ll say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. If you’re worried about damp timbers or stains in the loft and ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on flat-roofed extensions and dormers, the roof space and gutters and downpipes alike.
Bungalows, chalet bungalows and older cottages are common in smaller places like Elsenham, and many have been extended or had dormers added. Low roofs are easier to see from the ground, but dormer cheeks, valleys and flat-roofed additions still need close attention. That applies whether you’re buying in Elsenham or checking a new roof there. Lead around a dormer and the edges of a flat roof are common places for snags and wear alike.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible, and recommendations are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
- Place
- Elsenham (CM22)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Elsenham
Landlords, agents and building managers in Elsenham and across Essex can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
DIY checks: what’s safe
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
When you need someone else
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Elsenham
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- The roof space
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Elsenham?
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.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Old water stains in the loft space
With Horham Hall about 4 miles north-east, the area around Elsenham has a long history. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Will the report include photos?
- When you’ll get the report
- What the survey will not cover
How the survey changes by roof type
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, frequently over an extension. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings are a common source of leaks, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Elsenham
Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, and a good many post-war and modern estates besides. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. Elsenham is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport. Where the drone is part of the survey, we ask the airport for permission first, and only fly if it’s given.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary the Virgin are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. For landlords with property near Elsenham station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Elsenham is about 4 miles north-east of Bishop's Stortford, in Essex. Whether the building in Elsenham is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Elsenham is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in CM22 are booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes homes and businesses on Station Road, High Street and Isabel Drive. If you’re just outside Elsenham, we cover Fuller's End (1 mile south-east), Ugley Green (1 mile north-west), Henham (2 miles north-east), Ugley (2 miles north-west) and Brick End (3 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Braintree (14 miles east), Harlow (11 miles south-west), Saffron Walden (7 miles north), Great Dunmow (6 miles south-east), Great Notley (13 miles east) and Bocking (14 miles east).
What’s near Elsenham
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Robin Hood Public House. There is a railway station in Elsenham itself: Elsenham station. Other landmarks nearby include House On The Hill Toy Museum (1.3 miles south-west) and Little Easton Moat (4.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve and Portingbury Hills.
Questions from Elsenham
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Elsenham?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is drone flying allowed in Elsenham?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport covers Elsenham, or comes right up to its edge. Before any flight there, we ask the airport for permission, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it’s safe. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the loft space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It works alongside a home survey.
When will the report arrive?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed with photos included.
How long will you be at the property?
It normally takes about one to two hours for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.