Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Forest Hill, Greater London
An experienced roof surveyor for pre-purchase roof surveys in Forest Hill. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in Forest Hill
Some roofs can’t be seen well from the ground or from windows. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where applicable, a drone inspection, along with a same-day report. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and look from the ground, windows and the loft instead. Common reasons to book are gutters choked with leaves and moss and sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes, on the roof space, chimney stacks and clay and concrete tiles.
In a London terrace or conversion, the roof often joins the neighbours’ roofs and shares their stacks and gutters, with parapet walls and party-wall upstands marking where one roof ends and the next begins. That matters for anyone buying in Forest Hill or checking a new roof there: only the parts we are given access to and can see safely are inspected. For a flat, the lease typically says who looks after the roof.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photograph. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Place
- Forest Hill (SE23, SE22, SE26)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We say when the covering would need opening up to know more.
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Where pegs have rotted, tiles can slip.
Common roof problems in Forest Hill
Chimneys take the worst of the weather. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which matters if work is needed.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
If you own a rental within reach of Honor Oak Park station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Questions to ask before booking
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Tips that help
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
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, and we can’t promise any result.
Keep the loft ventilated. Condensation in a roof space can look like a leak and can damage timbers over time. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air cannot flow.
The survey, step by step
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey normally takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Otherwise, the visit in Forest Hill runs like any other.
- 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 the ground and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Towns and villages near Forest Hill
What else we do in Forest Hill
Questions from Forest Hill
Is parking a problem for a survey in Forest Hill?
It can be, so it helps to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
How do I find out if my home in Forest Hill is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We check the parts we’re given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do you need access inside the house?
Ideally, yes. We look in the loft space where there’s safe access, and upstairs windows give useful views. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It is not a replacement for a RICS survey.
Do you go up on the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain doesn’t normally stop a survey. High wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we will arrange another day with you.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Forest Hill
We confirm the price for your survey before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- Which survey package you book
- Height and safe access
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
Every price we give includes VAT. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. You will know the price for your roof before booking.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Anything about access we should know
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we will explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Why get it checked now?
A seller may honestly not know the state of the roof. Their answers on the property forms only cover what they know about. An independent look tells you how the roof is now. A hidden valley or parapet gutter on a London house can hold water for weeks before anyone notices. By the time a ceiling stains, the timbers underneath may have been wet for a while.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Forest Hill
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Forest Hill
Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that can’t be seen from the pavement. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whether you’re 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, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
Kingswood House, about 1.6 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Forest Hill. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it is worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing. For a London address like Forest Hill, it’s useful to know about controlled parking before the day.
Forest Hill is about 2 miles south-east of East Dulwich, in Greater London. Wherever you are in Forest Hill, we can carry out pre-purchase roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across Greater London, we cover Forest Hill and the places around it.
Surveys in SE23, SE22 and SE26 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on Ewart Road, London Road and Rojack Road and the roads around them. Close by, we survey roofs in Honor Oak (1 mile north), Perry Vale (1 mile south-east), Brockley (1 mile north-east), Crofton Park (1 mile north-east) and Dulwich (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (4 miles north-west), City of Westminster (6 miles north-west), Marylebone (6 miles north-west), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (6 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (6 miles north).
Landmarks near Forest Hill
Around Forest Hill, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Allenby Tutorial Trust, Capitol Cinema pub and Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich and the streets around them. Forest Hill’s nearest station is Honor Oak Park station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east. Nearby you will also find Greenwich Castle (3.1 miles north-east) and Horniman Museum and Gardens (0.5 miles south-west). The countryside around Forest Hill includes One Tree Hill and Knight's Hill.