Essex · London and the South East
Fairlop Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Fairlop, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
What we do, step by step
There is not much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, like stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes an hour or two for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. For a survey in Fairlop, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. Tell us about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- 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.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we are coming
How to book
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We will confirm the price before booking.
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Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Fairlop
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. At that point you can still ask questions, because nothing is binding yet. We survey seven days a week, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. The report comes within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. We’re frequently asked to look into worn or lifted lead flashings and gutters choked with leaves and moss, across natural slate, gutters and downpipes and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
Smaller places like Fairlop often have bungalows and cottages as well as houses, many of them extended or given dormers over the years. Even on a low roof, dormers, valleys and flat-roofed additions need a careful look. That applies whether you’re buying in Fairlop 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.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Fairlop (IG6, IG7, IG5)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs and buyers in Fairlop
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Valentines Mansion, about 2.1 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Fairlop. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later. If you own a rental within reach of Seven Kings station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Fairlop is about 2 miles east of Woodford, in Essex. Wherever you are in Fairlop, we can come and survey your property. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We work across IG6, IG7 and IG5 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Hazel Lane, Hobart Road and Hughes Road. If you’re just outside Fairlop, we cover Fullwell Cross (1 mile south), Barkingside (1 mile south), Newbury Park (2 miles south), Gants Hill (2 miles south) and Redbridge (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Harlow (12 miles north), Brentwood (10 miles east), Billericay (15 miles east), Loughton (3 miles north), Waltham Abbey (7 miles north-west) and Epping (7 miles north).
Local landmarks in Fairlop
In Fairlop, that means homes and buildings near Fairlop Waters, The New Fairlop Oak pub and Kantor King Solomon High School. Fairlop’s nearest station is Seven Kings station, roughly 2.5 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Claybury Hospital (0.7 miles west) and Redbridge Museum (2.9 miles south). The countryside around Fairlop includes Pole Hill and Hainault Lodge.
When to book a survey in Fairlop
Rear extensions, dormers and garages often have flat roofs. A felt roof often lasts around 15 to 20 years, and ponding, blisters and splits are common signs of age. A buyer can easily miss them, because many can only be seen from an upstairs window.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Take an older house close to St Francis of Assisi: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What experience they bring
- What happens after the report arrives
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether you get a written report with photos
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Ask for loft access on the day
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and keep the photographs to compare against later. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, particularly after autumn. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Get a professional in rather than climbing up yourself.
Why act early in Fairlop
A good many buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. The report shows what needs doing first, so you can plan work before small faults get bigger. Around Fairlop, a leak in an older house can soak into timbers and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Fairlop
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- An independent view of the roof
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- PI and public liability insurance
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. The main factors are:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Booking your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- What’s prompted the survey
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Where the property is, with the postcode
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Nearby places to Fairlop
More services for Fairlop
Fairlop questions
Is Fairlop in the area you cover?
Yes, Fairlop is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
How do I find out if my home in Fairlop is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access; we’ll agree the details when booking.
Do you go up on the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. Much of the inspection is done from ground level, from windows and from the roof space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It is not a RICS survey and doesn’t cover the rest of the house.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Our survey complements a RICS survey and doesn’t replace one.