West Berkshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Highclere, West Berkshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Highclere. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Highclere
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where it applies and an in-person consultation. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a report with photographs and recommendations. If you are worried about damp timbers or stains in the loft and bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Being in a small place like Highclere makes no difference to the inspection itself: it just means planning the journey and access beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible.
- Where
- Highclere (RG20)
- Region
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips that help
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Tell us your exchange date when booking
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Check we will be able to get into the roof space
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. The photos show the defects and where they are, which makes quotes easier to compare.
Keep the loft ventilated. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air can’t flow.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Highclere
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
With Highclere Castle about 1.4 miles south-east, the area around Highclere has a long history. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later. If you let a flat or house near Newbury station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. If you live in an older home near Church of St Michael Archangel, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Highclere is about 4 miles south-west of Newbury, in West Berkshire. We visit Highclere as part of our work across West Berkshire. Our West Berkshire coverage includes Highclere and the places around it. You can also see our page for Reading.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: RG20. Streets in the area include Tubb's Lane, Arkwright Close and Coombe Corner, all of which we cover. If you are just outside Highclere, we cover Penwood (1 mile north-east), Woolton Hill (1 mile north), Hollington (1 mile south-west), Enborne Row (2 miles north) and Wash Water (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Newbury (4 miles north-east), Thatcham (6 miles north-east), Burghfield Common (14 miles east), Speenhamland (5 miles north-east), Hungerford (8 miles north-west) and Lambourn (13 miles north-west).
Around Highclere
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Clere School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Newbury station, about 4.3 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Newbury Castle (3.9 miles north) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (5.5 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Audrey's Meadow and Sidown Hill.
Also near Highclere
More services for Highclere
DIY checks: what’s safe
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.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Questions from Highclere
Do you cover Highclere?
Yes, Highclere is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
Is Highclere within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
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.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. What the seller agrees to is their decision.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A seller may honestly not know the state of the roof. Their answers on the property forms only cover what they know about. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today. Around Highclere, older homes often have old roof timbers, and water through a failed covering can rot timber if it’s left.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Highclere
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Surveys seven days a week
Read how roof surveys are priced and two real surveys.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The size of the roof
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and some details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Helping us price your survey
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Anything about access we should know
Once you know what you need, call 07833 053749 or email us. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
How it works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, like when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Rural addresses near Highclere can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- 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.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
For a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Highclere, ring 07833 053749 or email us. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
When you need someone else
Every survey has limits, and we’d rather be clear about that before you book. Bear these in mind:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll tell you before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Highclere
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks