Kent · London and the South East
Kempe's Corner Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Kempe's Corner, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Kempe's Corner
Some roofs can’t be seen well from the ground or from windows. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, and the report arrives the same day. Where a flight is not possible, because of airspace rules or the weather, we tell you and look from ground level, windows and the loft instead. We survey natural slate, gutters and downpipes and the roof space, and common reasons people get in touch are slipped or missing slates and tiles and blistered or split felt on a flat roof.
Somewhere as small as Kempe's Corner, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you’re buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, and where it can wait, that’s said too.
- Where
- Kempe's Corner (TN25)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
Natural slate
Good slate is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’, and we note how widespread it looks.
How the survey works
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. The survey typically takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Older rural homes like those around Kempe's Corner can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know about parking before the day
Booking a survey
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.
Related advice
Kempe's Corner: your questions answered
Is my home in Kempe's Corner listed or in a conservation area?
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.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Kempe's Corner?
Yes, Kempe's Corner is within the area we cover. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the property.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It is not a replacement for a RICS survey.
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.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where possible, yes. We look in the loft space where there is safe access, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
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.
Towns and villages near Kempe's Corner
Other services in Kempe's Corner
Why act early in Kempe's Corner
A seller may honestly not know the state of the roof. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today, whatever anyone remembers. Around Kempe's Corner, older homes often have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book us in Kempe's Corner
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
Landlords, agents and block managers in Kempe's Corner
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed ahead of time. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which can make access easier.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- How big the roof is
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Booking your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The kind of building and roof involved
- The property’s address and postcode
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Kempe's Corner: local notes
Older houses across Kent often have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. Godinton House, about 3.8 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Kempe's Corner. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For landlords with property near Wye station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. Take an older house close to All Saints’ Church: a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Kempe's Corner is about 4 miles north-east of Ashford, in Kent. We visit Kempe's Corner as part of our work across Kent, for homes and businesses alike. Kempe's Corner is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work. Our Canterbury page covers surveys nearby.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in TN25 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. You will find streets like Harville Road and Canterbury Road, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Boughton Corner (1 mile north), Boughton Aluph (1 mile north), Wye (1 mile east), Brook (2 miles south-east) and Hinxhill (3 miles south). Larger places within reach include Ashford (4 miles south-west), Canterbury (10 miles north-east), Sittingbourne (13 miles north-west), Folkestone (13 miles south-east), Whitstable (13 miles north-east) and Faversham (9 miles north).
Landmarks near Kempe's Corner
Typical jobs here are in homes near Wye School, The Tickled Trout pub and Wye School, among other places. Kempe's Corner’s nearest station is Wye station, about 0.8 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include County Square (3 miles south-west) and Tower keep castle at Chilham (4.6 miles north-east). Not far away are Hatch Park.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
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.