West Berkshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Inkpen
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Inkpen, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Inkpen homes and their roofs
If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Take an older house close to Church of St Michael: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Landlords with a home close to Kintbury station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Inkpen is about 6 miles west of Newbury, in West Berkshire. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Inkpen can all book pre-purchase roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Our area takes in places right across West Berkshire, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Reading.
Here we cover the RG17 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Folly Road, Post Office Road and Robins Hill and the roads around them. We also cover Inkpen Common (1 mile south-east), Upper Green (1 mile south), Hell Corner (1 mile east), Lower Green (1 mile west) and Kintbury (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Newbury (6 miles east), Thatcham (9 miles east), Speenhamland (6 miles east), Hungerford (3 miles north-west), Lambourn (9 miles north) and Shaw (7 miles east).
What’s near Inkpen
Typical jobs here are in homes near Crown and Garter pub. For rail, the closest station is Kintbury station, roughly 1.9 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Hamstead Marshall 3 (3.3 miles north-east). Open spaces near Inkpen include Kintbury Newt Ponds and Inkpen Hill.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Inkpen
We survey roofs for buyers in Inkpen and across London and South East England. Whether it is a terrace, a semi, a detached house or a flat, we follow the same careful process. The report says what’s in good order, what is not and what to deal with first. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us. If you’ve noticed damp timbers or stains in the loft and sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Older buildings in small places like Inkpen may be listed or 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 is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
You receive the findings 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.
- Location
- Inkpen (RG17)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. The survey usually takes about one to two hours for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Around Inkpen, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so let us know about the loft hatch and any ladder. We only go where it is safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- 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.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
Other services in Inkpen
What we are asked to look at in Inkpen
Most viewings never get near the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight. New paint on a ceiling can hide old water stains, which is why buyers book a closer look before committing.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Stargroves, about 3.2 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Inkpen. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it is worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Questions to ask before booking
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Whether the price includes VAT
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
Gutters, downpipes and outlets carry water away from walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs, along with fascias and soffits.
Natural slate
Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’.
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Inkpen
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
Why act early in Inkpen
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Finding the cause at the survey stage lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. Around Inkpen, older homes often have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
What you get with us
- An independent view of the roof
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Take a look at our cost guide or our case studies.
Questions from Inkpen
Will you come out to Inkpen?
Yes, Inkpen is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
How do I find out if my home in Inkpen is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it’s 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.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes, you can. The report sets out what we found, with photos, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
Book as soon as your offer is agreed. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
When will the report arrive?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard reports within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. We send it by email with photos included.
Tips that help
A little preparation and a few simple habits help, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Check we will be able to get into the loft space
- Let us know your exchange date when you book
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
With Standard, you get a follow-up consultation, while Premium includes a consultation in person. If anything in the report is not clear, ask us.
After you move in, have leaves and moss cleared from gutters and valleys, especially after autumn. Blocked gutters cause much of the damp we see. Get a professional in rather than climbing up yourself.