Essex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Havering's Grove
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Havering's Grove and the rest of Essex. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Havering's Grove
How do I find out if my home in Havering's Grove is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Is Havering's Grove within the area you cover?
Yes, Havering's Grove is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it is safe. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where it applies.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Havering's Grove
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. We can’t say how a seller will respond, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. We are often asked to look into gaps where slates or tiles have come loose and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, on clay and concrete tiles, gutters and downpipes and chimney stacks.
Somewhere as small as Havering's Grove, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Each covering has its own weak points, whether the roof is old or newly laid, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
Where we can’t see part of the roof, the report says so. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Where
- Havering's Grove (CM13, CM12)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Check we will be able to get into the roof space
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Let us know your timetable
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so questions can go to the seller’s solicitor. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions.
After strong winds, look at the roof from the ground. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Whether timbers meet design loads
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
Nearby places to Havering's Grove
Other services in Havering's Grove
Havering's Grove homes and their roofs
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. About 2.4 miles north lies Ingatestone Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Havering's Grove has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
For landlords with property near Billericay station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Havering's Grove is about 2 miles west of Billericay, in Essex. Havering's Grove is one of many places we visit across Essex, for homes and businesses alike. Our area takes in places right across Essex, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Chelmsford.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: CM13 and CM12. We cover properties on London Road, North Drive and Rayleigh Road and the roads around them. Close by, we survey roofs in Hutton (1 mile west), Buttsbury (2 miles north), Hutton Mount (2 miles west), Mountnessing (2 miles north-west) and Ingrave (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (9 miles north-east), Basildon (5 miles south-east), Harlow (15 miles north-west), Brentwood (3 miles west), Maldon (15 miles north-east) and Canvey Island (11 miles south-east).
What’s near Havering's Grove
In Havering's Grove, that means homes and buildings near Hutton Country Park and The Mesken Hutton pub. Havering's Grove’s nearest station is Billericay station, about 1.5 miles east. A little further out are Barleylands Farm Museum (3.3 miles south-east) and Mayflower Community Hospital (1 mile south-east). The countryside around Havering's Grove includes Norsey Wood.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Havering's Grove
A chimney stack stands out in the wind and rain and they’re often the least maintained part of a roof. Mortar erodes, the flaunching around the pots cracks and the flashings work loose. A stack may be shared with the neighbours, which matters if work is needed.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of All Saints, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their track record with similar roofs
- How soon the report will arrive
How it works
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. The whole visit normally takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Somewhere like Havering's Grove needs a little journey planning: let us know 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’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- 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.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
How to prepare
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Where a roof is shared: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the survey around it.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Checking the roof from the ground
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when booking.