Essex · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hempstead, Essex
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Hempstead. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Old water stains in the loft space
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Hempstead
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, and the roof is only one part of it. We don’t offer a RICS home survey, and ours is not a substitute for one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photographs of what we find and written recommendations. The two sit side by side if you want the fullest picture. We survey the roof space, clay and concrete tiles and chimney stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are slipped or missing slates and tiles and flashings that have lifted or split.
Some older homes in villages like Hempstead are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
The written findings come by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Hempstead (CB10)
- Region
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Hempstead
The fixings and underlay frequently fail before good slates or tiles do. Good slate can last well over a century, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It’s a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from ground level.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Flashings that have lifted or split
Whatever the street in Hempstead, a roof costs least to look after when faults are caught early.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Places near Hempstead
More services for Hempstead
What happens on the day
You don’t need to do much on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Older rural homes like those around Hempstead can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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 written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Before we arrive
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
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Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Hempstead
To price your survey, we check:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Which survey package you book
Every price we give includes VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
What to let us know when you get in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Can I check my roof myself?
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Practical tips
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Ask for loft access on the day
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Book once your offer is accepted
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up to see how things have changed.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Honest limits
A survey is a proper look at the roof, but it cannot do everything. Its limits include:
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- A structural engineer’s report
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Hempstead: local notes
If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Weatherboarded walls and clay tile roofs are typical of older Essex buildings, with post-war and more recent estates making up much of the newer housing. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Take an older house close to Church of St Andrew: ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Hempstead is in Essex. We survey roofs in Hempstead and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Hempstead is one of the places in Essex where we work. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Here we cover the CB10 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. You’ll find streets such as High Street, Church Road and Harvey Way, and we cover them all. If you’re just outside Hempstead, we cover The Common (2 miles west), Radwinter (2 miles west), Maple End (2 miles west), Wimbish (3 miles south-west) and Steventon End (4 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns like Braintree (12 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (6 miles west), Halstead (12 miles south-east), Great Dunmow (10 miles south), Stansted Mountfitchet (11 miles south-west) and Great Notley (12 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Hempstead
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Rose And Crown Inn, among other places. Nearby you will also find Castle Camps (2.7 miles north) and Saffron Walden Community Hospital (5.3 miles west). Not far away are West Wood.
Questions from Hempstead
Is my home in Hempstead listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Hempstead?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
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.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That gives you time to use the findings, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we will arrange another day with you.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.