Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Great Rollright, Oxfordshire
A careful look at the roof at your property in Great Rollright, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Great Rollright
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. We look closely and record what we see, with photos so you can see it for yourself. Each finding is explained in plain words, so you know what it means for the house you’re buying. We survey natural slate, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys, and common reasons people get in touch are lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and a ridge or slope that dips.
Being in a small place like Great Rollright makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed ahead of time. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them when booking. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- Great Rollright (OX7)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs and buyers in Great Rollright
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 frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
Historic houses such as Chastleton House, about 4.9 miles west, show how far back building around Great Rollright goes. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy.
Great Rollright is about 10 miles south-west of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Great Rollright for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Great Rollright is one of the towns and villages in Oxfordshire we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. There is also a page for Oxford.
All of OX7 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on High Street, Chapel End and The Green or a nearby road, we can survey it. Other places close to Great Rollright include Over Norton (2 miles south), Chipping Norton (3 miles south), Salford (3 miles south-west), Sarsden (5 miles south-west) and Churchill (5 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Banbury (10 miles north-east), Witney (13 miles south), Carterton (15 miles south), Kidlington (15 miles south-east), Neithrop (9 miles north-east) and Grimsbury (11 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Great Rollright
We work in homes and buildings around The Unicorn Public House. A little further out are Chipping Norton Museum of Local History (2.6 miles south) and Wheelbarrow Castle (3.5 miles west). The countryside around Great Rollright includes Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool.
When you need someone else
It’s useful to know what a survey will not do before booking:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Asbestos testing of any kind
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Great Rollright
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
Towns and villages near Great Rollright
Also in Great Rollright
Roof by roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They wear slowly, but surfaces erode and edges crack, and low-pitched roofs need their laps to be right.
Flat roofs
Repeated coatings on a flat roof can mask what’s underneath. We record what we can see and say where a closer look is needed.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Great Rollright?
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We do not test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
If you live in an older home near Church of St Andrew, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
Great Rollright: your questions answered
Is Great Rollright in the area you cover?
Yes, Great Rollright is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Great Rollright as anywhere else.
Will you come out to Great Rollright?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It isn’t a RICS survey and does not cover the rest of the house.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Great Rollright?
It is easiest to call 07833 053749 or send us an email. Give us the address and a few details about the roof. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where applicable and safe. We are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where it applies.
What happens if roof problems are left?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, so it can fit around a tight timetable. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Great Rollright, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both inc. VAT. You’ll know the price for your roof before booking.
What you get with us
- Surveys seven days a week
- An independent view of the roof
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and two real surveys.
How it works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photos go into the written report. The visit typically takes about 1–2 hours for most houses; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Cottages and farmhouses around Great Rollright often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level 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 the survey
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Leave side gates unlocked
Book a survey
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Advice
Useful tips for Great Rollright property owners
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. 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.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.