Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Fritwell, Oxfordshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Fritwell, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Old water stains in the loft space
- A ridge or slope that dips
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Fritwell
Buyers in Fritwell and right across London and South East England use our pre-purchase roof survey. Whether it’s a terrace, a semi, a detached house or a flat, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We’re often asked to look into gaps where slates or tiles have come loose and old water stains in the roof space, on lead flashings and valleys, gutters and downpipes and natural slate.
Older buildings in small places like Fritwell may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, and where it can wait, that’s said too.
- Location
- Fritwell (OX27)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, often over an extension. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Natural slate
Good slate is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings, yet the nails that fix it often give out first. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’, and we note how widespread it looks.
How the survey works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes about one to two hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Older rural homes like those around Fritwell can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- You book once your offer is accepted and let us know the address and your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Arrange a survey
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Related advice
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Our packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Getting in touch
When you call or email, these details help:
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- The address and postcode of the property
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Fritwell
Do you cover smaller places like Fritwell?
Yes, Fritwell is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Is my home in Fritwell listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Does someone need to be in?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Do you need to go inside the property?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If we can’t get in, the report says so.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where applicable and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll explain what’s needed.
How experienced are you?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
What else we do in Fritwell
Practical tips
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Let us know your timetable
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Check we’ll be able to get into the roof space
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Honest limits
It is useful to know what a survey will not do before you book:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Fritwell
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
Fritwell homes and their roofs
There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. If your home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission, so the council is the place to ask. Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
Take an older house close to Church of St Olave: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Fritwell is about 5 miles north-west of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. We cover Fritwell and the rest of Oxfordshire, as part of our work across London and South East England. Fritwell is one of the places in Oxfordshire we cover. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: OX27. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on East Street, Fewcott Road and Hodgson Close. We also cover Fewcott (1 mile south-east), Souldern (1 mile north), Ardley (1 mile south-east), Somerton (2 miles west) and Upper Heyford (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Oxford (14 miles south), Banbury (9 miles north-west), Bicester (5 miles south-east), Kidlington (10 miles south), Headington Quarry (14 miles south) and Bure Park (5 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Fritwell
We work in homes and buildings around George and Dragon pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Heyford station, roughly 4 miles south-west. Other landmarks nearby include Ardley Castle (1.4 miles south-east) and Bicester Community Hospital (5.4 miles south-east).
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Fritwell
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen painted over a flashing, mortar where lead should be, or a few tiles that don’t match can point to a problem that keeps coming back. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Landlords with a home close to Heyford station may find that a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Are they insured for the work?
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours