Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Hitchin Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you spend money on it. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Hitchin, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hitchin
Buyers in Hitchin and right across London and the South East use our pre-purchase roof survey. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, natural slate and clay and concrete tiles, and the problems we are asked to look at most are chimney mortar that has eroded and sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes.
Hitchin is the kind of town where older houses and newer estates sit side by side. Older roofs are often slate or clay tile, and many later houses have concrete interlocking tiles. Whether you’re buying or have just had a new roof, the checks depend on which you have. What sits under the tiles, from old felt to modern membranes, matters as much as the tiles themselves.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Place
- Hitchin (SG4, SG5)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Other services in Hitchin
When to book a survey in Hitchin
Viewings rarely include a proper look at the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight. Fresh decoration can also cover the marks an old leak left behind, which is why buyers book a closer look before committing.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
The streets around a church like Church of the Holy Saviour are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Will the report include photos?
- What follow-up you get after the report
What we do, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Parking in a town like Hitchin is typically simple, but let us know if there is a driveway or any restrictions. The inspection covers whatever is safely visible from outside, from windows and from the loft space, and from the roof itself where it’s safe.
- 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.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.
Advice
What we cannot see
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before you book. Bear these in mind:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Whether timbers meet design loads
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
To price your survey, we check:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Height and safe access
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the size and height of the roof, access and the package you choose.
Helping us price your survey
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- When you need the report by
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- What made you get in touch
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Hitchin homes and their roofs
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. If your 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, so the council is the place to ask.
Landlords with a home close to Hitchin station may find that it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Hitchin is about 5 miles north-west of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. Hitchin gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a close look at what can be seen safely, photos and a clear written report. Our Hertfordshire coverage includes Hitchin. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in SG4 and SG5 are booked the same way as anywhere else. You’ll find streets such as Market Place, London Road and Harrison Close. Hitchin is on the A505 and A600, so it is easy for us to get to. Close by, we survey roofs in Benslow (1 mile east), Poets Estate (1 mile east), Bearton (1 mile north-west), Walsworth (1 mile north-east) and Westmill (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (5 miles south-east), St Albans (14 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south), Harpenden (10 miles south), Hatfield (13 miles south) and Hertford (13 miles south-east). As one of the bigger places in Hertfordshire, Hitchin has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Around Hitchin
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Highbury Infant School and Nursery, Butts Close and Kingshott School, among other places. You will also find Radcliffe Arms (under half a mile north-east) and St Mary's Church (less than half a mile south-west). Hitchin has its own railway station: Hitchin station. A little further out are Wymondley Castle (1.7 miles east) and Lister Hospital (3.1 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Purwell Ninesprings and Markham's Hill.
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They wear slowly, but surfaces erode and edges crack.
Chimney stacks
A leaning stack, cracked flaunching or crumbling pointing can all need work. We note them with photos so you can ask about them.
Hitchin: your questions answered
What do I need to do before a survey in Hitchin?
Mostly, it’s about access: the loft hatch, any locked gates and where to park in Hitchin. It also helps to know about any leaks or earlier repairs.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Hitchin?
Yes, Hitchin is within the area we cover. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the property, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where applicable.
How soon is the report ready?
It depends on the package: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Tell us your exchange date and we will help you choose.
Do you need to go inside the property?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.