Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Farnham, Hertfordshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Farnham and the rest of Hertfordshire. We survey on any day of the week.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us about the roof. We will confirm the figure before booking.
Getting in touch
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- When you need the report by
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Farnham: what you get
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, so the roof is one item among many. Our survey is not a RICS survey, and it does not replace one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos and written recommendations you can act on. The two sit side by side if you want the fullest picture. Typical surveys look at gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, on chimney stacks, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and clay and concrete tiles.
Somewhere as small as Farnham, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. 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, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
What you get is a clear record of the roof on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later.
- Location
- Farnham (CM23)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Farnham
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We don’t test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Mary the Virgin, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
Roof by roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Many leaks start at a flashing, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. We photograph any that need work.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
What you can safely check yourself
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
What we do, step by step
Before we start, tell us why you’ve booked: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. Most visits take an hour or two for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. For a village or hamlet like Farnham, the journey is planned ahead of time: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- 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.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- 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
- Let us know about parking before the day
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Leave side gates unlocked
Book a survey
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Advice
Also near Farnham
What else we do in Farnham
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Farnham
Will you come out to Farnham?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
How do I find out if my home in Farnham is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
Can you survey in bad weather?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we will arrange another day with you.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
How long will you be at the property?
On site, it usually takes roughly 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days when booking.
Buying a home or a new roof in Farnham
Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. The wider area around Farnham has a long history of building, with Much Hadham Palace about 4.2 miles south-west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
For landlords with property near Stansted Mountfitchet station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Farnham is about 2 miles north of Bishop's Stortford, in Hertfordshire. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Farnham and nearby. Farnham is one of the places in Hertfordshire we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
All of CM23 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Uppend (1 mile north), Mount Pleasant (1 mile north), Manuden (2 miles north-east), Bentfield Green (2 miles east) and Stansted Mountfitchet (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (14 miles west), Hoddesdon (12 miles south-west), Hertford (12 miles south-west), Ware (10 miles south-west), Baldock (15 miles north-west) and Broxbourne (13 miles south-west).
Around Farnham
Around Farnham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near St Mary's Catholic School, among other places. Farnham’s nearest station is Stansted Mountfitchet station, roughly 2.4 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Moated mound (1.7 miles south-west) and Herts and Essex Hospital (2.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Portingbury Hills and Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Farnham
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.