Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Harcourt Hill Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Harcourt Hill, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
What we cannot see
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
Pre-purchase roof survey in Harcourt Hill
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be asking from facts rather than guesses. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. Typical surveys look at patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and gutters choked with leaves and moss, on natural slate, the roof space and lead flashings and valleys.
For a small place like Harcourt Hill, the visit is planned like any other: it just means planning the journey and access beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Harcourt Hill (OX2, OX1)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Harcourt Hill questions
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Harcourt Hill?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Harcourt Hill within the area you cover?
Yes, Harcourt Hill is covered. Our area covers London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it is useful to know about access.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That gives you time to use the findings.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
How long does the survey visit take?
The visit normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We’ll give you an idea of timing when booking.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
What’s the best way to book?
Just ring 07833 053749 or email us. We will ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Why act early in Harcourt Hill
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Spotting it before you buy lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. In a place like Harcourt Hill, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book with us
- Photos and a written report every time
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- An independent view of the roof
- Prices that include VAT
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or two real surveys.
Places near Harcourt Hill
Other services in Harcourt Hill
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when you book and it will help the survey.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Harcourt Hill
Prices always include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- Which survey package you book
- The roof’s overall size
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where applicable) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What we need to know
You do not need to know any roofing terms. Just tell us:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
To get a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Harcourt Hill, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. Some details about the property and the roof help us price the survey accurately.
The survey, step by step
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, it usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Somewhere as small as Harcourt Hill, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
We confirm the price for your roof before booking, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
Natural slate
Many older homes in London and South East England have slate roofs. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
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.
Buying a home or a new roof in Harcourt Hill
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Historic houses such as Holywell Manor, about 2.3 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around Harcourt Hill goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you own a rental within reach of Oxford station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near Church of St Lawrence, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Harcourt Hill is about 3 miles west of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. In Harcourt Hill, as across Oxfordshire, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages.
We work across the OX2 and OX1 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Whether your property is on Lime Road, Cedar Road and Stanton Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Other places close to Harcourt Hill include North Hinksey (1 mile north), Chilswell (1 mile south), Osney (1 mile north-east), Grandpont (1 mile east) and South Hinksey (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover Oxford (3 miles east), Didcot (9 miles south), Bicester (13 miles north-east), Abingdon-on-Thames (4 miles south), Witney (9 miles west) and Carterton (13 miles west).
Around Harcourt Hill
Around Harcourt Hill, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Raleigh Park, Angus Library and Archive and Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, among other places. Also close by are The Fishes pub (0.6 miles north-east) and North Hinksey Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles north-east). For rail, the closest station is Oxford station, about 1.4 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are The Story Museum (1.7 miles north-east) and Oxford Castle and earlier settlement remains (1.6 miles north-east). Open spaces near Harcourt Hill include Cumnor Hill and Lashford Lane Fen.