Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Emmington, Oxfordshire
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Emmington and the rest of Oxfordshire. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Emmington
Buyers in Emmington and right across London and South East England use our pre-purchase roof survey. Whether it’s a terrace, a semi, a detached house or a flat, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To book, phone 07833 053749 or email us. We’re often asked to look into ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof and blocked or leaking gutters, on natural slate, clay and concrete tiles and gutters and downpipes.
Being in a small place like Emmington makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed in advance. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at as you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Emmington (OX39)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there is safe access, from inside the loft space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. The whole visit normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Cottages and farmhouses around Emmington often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Booking a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
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Leave it or get it looked at?
Sellers aren’t always aware of roof problems. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today, whatever anyone remembers. In a small place like Emmington, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why book with us
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- Every finding written up with photos
Other services in Emmington
Common questions in Emmington
Is my home in Emmington listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you cover smaller places like Emmington?
Yes. Emmington is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Does someone need to be in?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access when you book.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it’s safe. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
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.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes, you can. 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.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Emmington
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Emmington
Chimneys take the worst of the weather and they’re frequently the least maintained part of a roof. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which can affect how any work is arranged.
Here are some of the things we see frequently:
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- A ridge or slope that dips
The streets around a church such as Church of St Nicholas are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- How soon the report will arrive
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Emmington
Cotswold stone slates are found on older buildings in west Oxfordshire, and thatch survives in some of the county’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
Adwell House, about 3 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Emmington. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area. For landlords with property near Princes Risborough station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Emmington is about 3 miles south-east of Thame, in Oxfordshire. Anywhere in Emmington, we can come and survey your property. Emmington is one of the places in Oxfordshire where we work. Oxford is in our area too.
All of OX39 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. If you’re just outside Emmington, we cover Sydenham (1 mile south-west), Kingston Stert (1 mile south-west), Chinnor (1 mile south-east), Towersey (2 miles north) and Thame (3 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Oxford (13 miles west), Didcot (15 miles south-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (15 miles west), Henley-on-Thames (13 miles south), Benson (10 miles south-west) and Headington Quarry (12 miles west).
Local landmarks in Emmington
We work in homes and buildings around The Inn at Emmington and the streets around them. The closest station to Emmington is Princes Risborough station, about 3.8 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Thame Museum (3.1 miles north-west) and Thame Community Hospital (2.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Bald Hill and Oakley Hill nature reserve.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Which survey package you book
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The size of the roof
Every price we give includes VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the exact price before you book.
Helping us price your survey
Some details help us suggest the right survey and price. When you contact us, let us know:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- The address and postcode of the property
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Honest limits
No survey can tell you everything, and it is better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- A structural engineer’s report
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers