Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Grimsbury Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Grimsbury. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in Grimsbury: what you get
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it’s checked as far as access allows. We survey chimney stacks, natural slate and the roof space, and the problems we are asked to look at most are gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing.
Around Grimsbury, you’ll mostly find houses and bungalows of different ages. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. Whether you are buying or have just had the roof replaced, that hidden layer is worth knowing about. Older roofs often have bitumen felt under the coverings, as breathable membranes only arrived in the late 1990s.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Where
- Grimsbury (OX16, OX17, OX15)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Notes and photographs go into the written report. It typically takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In a smaller place like Grimsbury, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
How to prepare
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Book a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know the cost up front. Prices start from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
What we are asked to look at in Grimsbury
Gutter problems frequently look minor from the street. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Hidden gutters behind parapets or in roof valleys can send water indoors. They’re part of what we look at.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
Landlords with a home close to Banbury station may find that a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Before booking anyone
- How soon the report will arrive
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Why get it checked now?
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That will not show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. We fill that gap before you are tied in, with photos of anything that needs attention. On a bungalow or cottage around Grimsbury, the roof sits close to the rooms below, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. You’ll know the figure before booking.
Why book us in Grimsbury
- Package prices that include VAT
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide and our case studies.
When you need someone else
A survey is a close look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- 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’ll tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
Grimsbury: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Grimsbury?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Is my home in Grimsbury listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where we can, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If access isn’t possible, we note it in the report.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
It is your choice, but the two do different jobs. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it as you book and we will plan the survey around it.
More services for Grimsbury
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Grimsbury
With Broughton Castle about 3.4 miles south-west, Grimsbury sits in an area with a long building history. 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. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
The streets around a church such as Saint Leonard's Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Grimsbury is about 1 mile east of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Grimsbury can all book pre-purchase roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. We cover towns and villages across Oxfordshire, large and small. You can also see our page for Oxford.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: OX16, OX17 and OX15. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Alma Road, Manor Road and Verney Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Banbury (1 mile west), Neithrop (2 miles west), Ruscote (2 miles west) and Bodicote (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns like Bicester (13 miles south-east), Bure Park (13 miles south-east), Chipping Norton (13 miles south-west), Woodstock (15 miles south), Bloxham (4 miles south-west) and Charlbury (15 miles south-west).
Around Grimsbury
Typical jobs here are in homes near Banbury Academy, The Pepper Pot pub and Ash-Shifa School and the streets around them. Grimsbury has its own railway station: Banbury station. A little further out are Horton General Hospital (1 mile south-west) and Castle Quay Shopping Centre (0.5 miles west). For a walk, there is Crouch Hill and Farthinghoe Nature Reserve.