Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Five Wents, Kent
Wondering about the roof at a property in Five Wents? You can book a pre-purchase roof survey in Five Wents and across Kent.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
How the survey works
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. Older rural homes like those around Five Wents can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- 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.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Keep pets in another room
Book a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will explain the options and the price.
Related advice
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Five Wents
A Basic Survey starts from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, inc. VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where applicable and an in-person consultation. Choose the level that suits the home you are buying. Every package comes with a written report, photos and recommendations. Typical surveys look at blocked or leaking gutters and worn or lifted lead flashings, across the roof space, chimney stacks and clay and concrete tiles.
In a village or hamlet like Five Wents, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
Where we cannot see part of the roof, the report says so. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Five Wents (ME17)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Five Wents
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photographs included.
Practical tips
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Tell us your exchange date as you book
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
With the findings in hand, you can talk to the seller or their agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
Places near Five Wents
Also in Five Wents
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Can I check my roof myself?
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Five Wents: local notes
Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. Stoneacre, about 1.7 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Five Wents. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges. If you let a flat or house near Hollingbourne station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Five Wents is about 4 miles south-east of Maidstone, in Kent. In Five Wents, as across Kent, every roof gets the same careful survey. We cover towns and villages across Kent.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: ME17. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Leeds Road and Sutton Road. We also cover Warmlake (1 mile south), Langley Heath (1 mile north-east), Langley (1 mile north-west), Chart Sutton (1 mile west) and Sutton Valence (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (4 miles north-west), Ashford (13 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (10 miles north-east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (15 miles south-west), Tonbridge (14 miles west) and Faversham (14 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Five Wents
In Five Wents, that means homes and buildings near The Plough Inn. For rail, the closest station is Hollingbourne station, about 3 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are KIMS hospital (4.2 miles north) and Sutton Valence Castle (1.2 miles south). The countryside around Five Wents includes Detling Hill.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Five Wents
Will you come out to Five Wents?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is my home in Five Wents listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It isn’t a replacement for a RICS survey.
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.
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.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
On site, it normally takes between one and two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Prices always include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Roof area
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. You will know the price for the job before booking.
What we need to know
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What made you get in touch
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.