Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Gerrards Cross Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Not sure what state the roof is in? You can book a pre-purchase roof survey in Gerrards Cross and across Buckinghamshire, with plain-English findings.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Gerrards Cross
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where applicable, a drone inspection, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we’ll say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, chimney stacks and gutters and downpipes, and common reasons people get in touch are quick fixes on flashings and valleys and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing.
Around Gerrards Cross, you will mostly find houses and bungalows of different ages. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. For a purchase or a newly replaced roof, what’s under the coverings matters as much as what’s on top. Breathable membranes only appeared in the late 1990s, so older roofs frequently have bitumen felt or nothing at all.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, and where it can wait, that’s said too.
- Place
- Gerrards Cross (SL9)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from the ground
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. Our suggestions:
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. You might ask for the work to be done before completion, or ask to adjust the price. The outcome is between you and the seller, and we cannot promise any result.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Towns and villages near Gerrards Cross
Other services in Gerrards Cross
Landlords, agents and block managers in Gerrards Cross
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out in order of urgency where relevant, which helps when budgeting.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.
What happens on the day
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes between one and two hours for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Gerrards Cross, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- The roof is inspected from every safe vantage point, inside and out.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Arrange a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Related advice
Gerrards Cross questions
Will you come out to Gerrards Cross?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Is drone flying allowed in Gerrards Cross?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. Gerrards Cross is about 2 miles from Denham Aerodrome, so the Drone Safety Map is checked for restrictions around it before we fly. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain doesn’t typically stop a survey, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
On site, it normally takes about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes. You will have photos and a written description of each defect, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. We can’t promise how the seller will respond.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it is safe. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the roof space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Honest limits
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before you book. Keep these in mind:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Whether timbers meet design loads
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings are a common source of leaks, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
Natural slate
Many older homes in London and South East England have slate roofs. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.
Buying a home or a new roof in Gerrards Cross
Thatch survives on some older buildings in Buckinghamshire’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. Denham Aerodrome is about 2 miles from Gerrards Cross. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
The streets around a church like St James Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. If you let a flat or house near Gerrards Cross station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Gerrards Cross is about 5 miles north-east of Slough, in Buckinghamshire. Gerrards Cross gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Gerrards Cross is one of the towns and villages in Buckinghamshire where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. Reading is in our area too.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in SL9 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Station Road, East Common and Oxford Road or a nearby road, we can help. You’ll find Gerrards Cross on the A40 and A413, which makes it simple to reach. Other places close to Gerrards Cross include Tatling End (1 mile south-east), Fulmer (1 mile south), Hedgerley Green (2 miles west), Higher Denham (2 miles east) and Baker's Wood (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover High Wycombe (9 miles west), Chesham (9 miles north), Marlow (9 miles west), Amersham (7 miles north), Beaconsfield (4 miles north-west) and Princes Risborough (15 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Gerrards Cross
We work in homes and buildings around St Mary's School, The Chalfonts Community College and Bulstrode Park. Gerrards Cross has its own railway station: Gerrards Cross station. Nearby you will also find Chiltern Open Air Museum (3.8 miles north) and Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Hospital (1.7 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Horse Shoe Bay and Church Wood.