Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London
Not sure what state the roof is in? We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Harrow on the Hill and across Greater London, with plain-English findings.
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Harrow on the Hill
If you are buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that is often not the individual flat owner, with costs frequently passed on through the service charge. We check 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 check that too where access allows. We’re often asked to look into sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes and gutters choked with leaves and moss, on chimney stacks, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, and a home in Harrow on the Hill could be any of them. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, the details that cause trouble depend on the age of the building. Slate roofs, butterfly valleys, parapet gutters and flat-roofed rear additions each have their own weak points.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, and where it can wait, that’s said too.
- Location
- Harrow on the Hill (HA1, HA0, HA2)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That’s where a survey comes in.
Common roof problems in Harrow on the Hill
Flat roofs turn up on extensions, dormers, porches and garages. A felt roof often 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.
We are often asked to look at:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
Take an older house close to Christ Church: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Before booking anyone
- Are they insured for the work?
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Which limits apply to the survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Harrow on the Hill
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Northolt Manor, about 2.1 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Harrow on the Hill. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you own a rental within reach of Sudbury Hill Harrow station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. For a London address like Harrow on the Hill, it’s useful to know about controlled parking before the day.
Harrow on the Hill is about 1 mile south-east of Harrow, in Greater London. Harrow on the Hill is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, large and small. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
We work across the HA1, HA0 and HA2 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on New Road, Amery Road and London Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Harrow on the Hill: Roxeth (1 mile west), Northwick Park (1 mile north-east), South Harrow (1 mile west), Harrow (1 mile north-west) and Sudbury (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include London (11 miles south-east), City of Westminster (9 miles south-east), Marylebone (9 miles east), Kensington (7 miles south-east), St Pancras (10 miles east) and Shoreditch (11 miles east).
Around Harrow on the Hill
Typical jobs here are in homes near Northwick Park, St Dominic's Sixth Form College and Orley Farm School. For rail, the closest station is Sudbury Hill Harrow station, roughly 0.5 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Kodak Museum (2 miles north) and Clementine Churchill Hospital (within half a mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Middle Lake and Northala Fields.
Towns and villages near Harrow on the Hill
Other services in Harrow on the Hill
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
We inspect the outside of the stack, and it is not a flue or gas safety check. We will say if the flue needs a specialist.
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.
Before and after the survey
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Let us know your exchange date as you book
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. You might ask for the work to be done before completion, or ask to adjust the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we cannot promise any result.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Common questions in Harrow on the Hill
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Harrow on the Hill?
We cannot 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.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Harrow on the Hill?
It can be, so it’s useful to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when you book.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
What’s the best way to book?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us the address and what you’d like to know. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with the freeholder or managing agent. Let us know about it as you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
The survey, step by step
We’ll ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Many London properties are flats or terraces with no side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents as you book.
- 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.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Booking a survey
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.