Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Forest Hill, Oxfordshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Forest Hill, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Pre-purchase roof survey in Forest Hill
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be asking from facts rather than guesses. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey clay and concrete tiles, the roof space and chimney stacks, and people most frequently book us about cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing and quick fixes on flashings and valleys.
Somewhere as small as Forest Hill, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, 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.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Where
- Forest Hill (OX33)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Forest Hill
Viewings rarely include a proper look at the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight. New paint on a ceiling can hide old water stains, so a closer look is worth having before you commit.
Common reasons to book include:
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
The streets around a church like Church of St Nicholas are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Before booking anyone
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- When you’ll get the report
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
Towns and villages near Forest Hill
What else we do in Forest Hill
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Forest Hill
Do you carry out roof surveys in Forest Hill?
Yes, Forest Hill is within the area we cover. We cover the whole of London and South East England. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Is my home in Forest Hill listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
How do I book a survey in Forest Hill?
Just ring 07833 053749 or email us. We will ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
When will the report arrive?
That depends on which survey you choose: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Let us know your timetable when you book.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS 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 that’s where a roof survey helps. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and the South East. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and missing lead is not unknown, as it is a target for thieves.
Gutters and parapets
Gutters, downpipes and outlets carry water away from walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs, along with fascias and soffits.
What we do, step by step
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings as a photo-illustrated written report, emailed to you. On timing, it usually takes an hour or two for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a hamlet or village like Forest Hill, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed beforehand.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe 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.
Before we arrive
- Tell us about parking before the day
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Keep pets in another room
Booking a survey
If you’re buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or send us an email whenever suits you.
Advice
Leave it or get it looked at?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. Outbuildings and barns around Forest Hill are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with VAT included. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Forest Hill
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Clear package prices, with VAT included
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- An independent look at the roof
Read our cost guide and two real surveys.
Local roofs and buyers in Forest Hill
Cotswold stone slates are found on older buildings in west Oxfordshire, and thatch survives in some of the county’s villages. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. The wider area around Forest Hill has a long history of building, with Garsington Manor about 3.6 miles south. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Forest Hill is about 3 miles east of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. Forest Hill is one of many places we visit across Oxfordshire, for homes and businesses alike. Our Oxfordshire coverage includes Forest Hill and the places around it.
Surveys in OX33 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Main Street, Milton Crescent and Powell Close. Other places close to Forest Hill include Holton (1 mile south-east), Stanton St John (1 mile north), Littleworth (1 mile south), Risinghurst (2 miles west) and Wheatley (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Oxford (3 miles west), Didcot (11 miles south), Bicester (9 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (8 miles south-west), Witney (14 miles west) and Thame (8 miles east).
Around Forest Hill
We work in homes and buildings around Shotover Country Park, The Kings Arm's Public House and Wheatley Park School, among other places. Other landmarks nearby include Waterperry Gardens Rural Museum (2.9 miles east) and Templars Square (3.5 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include CS Lewis Nature Reserve and Shotover.
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and it is better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Forest Hill
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we look at the roof.