Essex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Harrowcross
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Harrowcross, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
DIY checks: what’s safe
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
It’s useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Harrowcross
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you are tied in. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the loft space where it is safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, chimney stacks and the roof space, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are loose pots and cracked flaunching and a ridge or slope that dips.
For a small place like Harrowcross, 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 when you book. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked seven days a week.
After the visit, you get a report with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the roof, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Harrowcross (CO9)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the addresses.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Which survey package you book
- Height and safe access
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What to tell us when you contact us
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you get in touch, it is useful to mention:
- The address and postcode of the property
- What made you get in touch
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or email us to find out.
Harrowcross: your questions answered
Do you carry out roof surveys in Harrowcross?
Yes, Harrowcross is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Harrowcross?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
How many surveys have you done?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. What the seller agrees to is their decision, so we cannot promise any saving.
How long will you be at the property?
On site, it normally takes between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It is not a replacement for a RICS survey.
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
A stack stands exposed above the roof line. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings, as far as we can see them safely.
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
The survey, step by step
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs, emailed to you. On timing, it usually takes an hour or two at a typical home, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere like Harrowcross needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
What we are asked to look at in Harrowcross
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We do not carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Old water stains in the loft space
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Peter, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Are they insured for the work?
- What the survey won’t cover
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Harrowcross
In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, and lots of post-war and modern estates besides. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
With Hedingham Castle about 1.7 miles north-east, the area around Harrowcross has a long history. 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.
Harrowcross is about 3 miles north-west of Halstead, in Essex. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Harrowcross can all book pre-purchase roof surveys. Our area takes in places right across Essex, large and small. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: CO9. We also cover the places around Harrowcross: Sible Hedingham (1 mile north-east), Almshouse Green (1 mile west), Castle Hedingham (2 miles north-east), Gosfield (3 miles south) and Beazley End (4 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Colchester (15 miles east), Braintree (6 miles south), Witham (12 miles south), Saffron Walden (15 miles west), Camulodunum (14 miles south-east) and Halstead (3 miles south-east).
What’s near Harrowcross
Typical jobs here are in homes near The White Lion pub and the streets around them. Nearby you will also find Hedingham Castle (1.7 miles north-east) and Halstead Hospital (3 miles south-east). Not far away are Belcher's and Broadfield Woods.