Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Harbourland, Kent
Pre-purchase roof surveys across Harbourland, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Harbourland
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. Our survey picks it out, with photos so you can see it for yourself. We explain each finding in plain English, so you know what it means for the house you are buying. We survey natural slate, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys, and the problems we are asked to look at most are patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and blistered or split felt on a flat roof.
For a small place like Harbourland, the visit is planned like any other: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed beforehand. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you are buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked on any day of the week.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Where
- Harbourland (ME14)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Harbourland
Do you cover smaller places like Harbourland?
Yes. Harbourland is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Harbourland?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys on any day of the week. To arrange a date, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, with a written report and photographs. It is not a RICS survey and doesn’t cover the rest of the house.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we will arrange another day with you.
What a survey costs
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- How big the roof is
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Getting in touch
A few details help us recommend the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- What’s prompted the survey
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Dates you’re working to, such as exchange
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Can I check my roof myself?
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Harbourland: local notes
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. You will also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
For landlords with property near Maidstone East station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near St Paul's Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Stoneacre, about 3.3 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Harbourland. 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.
Harbourland is about 2 miles north of Maidstone, in Kent. We cover Harbourland and the rest of Kent. Across Kent, we cover Harbourland and the places around it.
We survey roofs across ME14 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We also cover the places around Harbourland: Penenden Heath (1 mile south), Foley Park (1 mile south), Grove Green (1 mile south-east), Ringlestone (1 mile west) and Sandling (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns like Sittingbourne (9 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (15 miles west), Gravesend (12 miles north-west), Tonbridge (13 miles south-west), Faversham (15 miles east) and Northfleet (13 miles north-west).
What’s near Harbourland
In Harbourland, that means homes and buildings near The King's Arms, Valley Park School and Vinters Valley Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Maidstone East station, roughly 1.3 miles south-west. A little further out are KIMS hospital (0.9 miles south-east) and Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum (1.4 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Burham Down and Boxley Hills.
Nearby places to Harbourland
More services for Harbourland
What this survey cannot tell you
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
How it works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. That way we can focus on what matters to you. Most visits take an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Older rural homes like those around Harbourland can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- 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 is safe.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Prices start from £150, including VAT. To book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Ask the agent to check the loft hatch can be opened
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
With the findings in hand, you can talk to the seller or their agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we can’t promise any result.
Don’t block the vents at the eaves. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air cannot flow.
Why get it checked now?
The lender’s valuation is done for the lender, not for you. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, and it won’t look closely at the roof. A roof survey is carried out for the buyer. For an older or listed building in a place like Harbourland, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
All our prices include VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. You will know the price for your survey before booking.
Why us?
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- A written report with photos
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.