Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hardwick, Oxfordshire
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Hardwick from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Why it’s worth a survey now in Hardwick
The lender’s valuation is done for the lender, not for you. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, and it won’t look closely at the roof. Our survey is done for you. Outbuildings and barns around Hardwick are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Hardwick
- Plain-English reports with photos
- An independent look at the roof
- Package prices that include VAT
- Surveys seven days a week
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hardwick: what you get
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that’s often not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We look at as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. If the building has a flat roof, we look at that too where access allows. If you’ve noticed slipped or missing slates and tiles and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Some older homes in villages like Hardwick are listed or sit in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
It is not only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Location
- Hardwick (OX27)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Hardwick
Do you carry out roof surveys in Hardwick?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Hardwick as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you cover smaller places like Hardwick?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
Allow an hour or two for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
How soon is the report ready?
That depends on which survey you choose: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Let us know your timetable when you book.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
What insurance do you have?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Before booking, it is worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Landlords, agents and block managers in Hardwick
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
What happens on the day
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from each safe vantage point, take photos as we go and make notes for the report. Most visits take about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Somewhere like Hardwick needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed in advance.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations before you exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
How to book
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we’ll recommend the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Hardwick homes and their roofs
There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so the council is the place to ask. West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Mary, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Hardwick is about 4 miles north of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Hardwick and the rest of Oxfordshire. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our Oxford page covers surveys nearby.
Every address in OX27 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Hethe (1 mile east), Stoke Lyne (1 mile south-west), Fringford (2 miles east), Bucknell (3 miles south-west) and Stratton Audley (3 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns like Oxford (15 miles south), Banbury (10 miles north-west), Bicester (4 miles south), Kidlington (11 miles south-west), Headington Quarry (14 miles south) and Bure Park (4 miles south).
Around Hardwick
We work in homes and buildings around Whitmore Arms Public House. The nearest railway station is Bicester North station, about 4.2 miles south. A little further out are Ardley Castle (2.8 miles south-west) and Bicester Community Hospital (4.6 miles south).
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Hardwick
Flat roofs turn up on extensions, dormers, porches and garages. A felt roof frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. They’re easy to overlook on a viewing, particularly when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
For landlords with property near Bicester North station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Questions to ask before booking
- What experience they bring
- Their report turnaround times
- What exactly goes into their report
- What happens after the report arrives
Places near Hardwick
Other services in Hardwick
What you can safely check yourself
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when you book, as it helps us focus the survey.