Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Kew, Greater London
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Kew, 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
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Kew
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Most of it cannot be seen from the street. We look closely and record what we see, with photos so you can see it for yourself. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it is clear what it means for your purchase. We are frequently asked to look into flashings that have lifted or split and a ridge or slope that dips, on flat-roofed extensions and dormers, natural slate and gutters and downpipes.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, so a property in Kew might be any of these. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, the details that cause trouble depend on the age of the building. Slates, hidden valley gutters, parapets and flat roofs over back additions all need checking in their own way.
After the visit, you get a photo-illustrated written report, sent by email. It explains the condition of the roof, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Kew (W4, TW9, TW8)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Kew
Asbestos was banned in UK construction in 1999. It’s often found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We don’t test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
Parking in Kew, as in most of London, takes a little planning: let us know about parking bays, permits or a driveway when booking.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Their report turnaround times
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
Kew questions
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Kew?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Is drone flying allowed in Kew?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
How long will you be at the property?
Allow about one to two hours for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. We’ll give you an idea of timing when you book.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day. Just say which days work for you.
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 applicable.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 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.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flat roofs
Ponding, blistering, splits and worn upstands are the usual warning signs. Blocked outlets are checked as well, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. From inside the roof space, we report what we can see of it.
What we cannot see
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll suggest the right survey. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
Nearby places to Kew
What else we do in Kew
What happens on the day
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Notes and photographs go into the written report. The visit typically takes between one and two hours for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. For a visit in Kew, parking and access are the things to plan: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the roof space and from the roof 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 we arrive
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Arrange a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Kew
With Kew Palace about 0.7 miles west, Kew sits in an area with a long building history. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
If you let a flat or house near Chiswick station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. For an older house near a landmark such as St Paul's Church, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Kew is about 2 miles south of Acton, in Greater London. We cover Kew and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. Our Greater London coverage includes Kew and the places around it. There’s also a page for London.
We cover every part of the W4, TW9 and TW8 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Kew Road, Maze Road and Kent Road. Being close to the A3000, Kew is easy for us to reach. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Strand-on-the-Green (1 mile north), Grove Park (1 mile east), North Sheen (1 mile south), Gunnersbury (1 mile north) and Turnham Green (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (8 miles east), City of Westminster (6 miles east), Marylebone (6 miles north-east), Kensington (3 miles east), St Pancras (7 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (9 miles east).
Local landmarks in Kew
Typical jobs here are in homes near Library for Iranian Studies, Kew Green and Chiswick School, among other places. You will also find Kew College Prep (under half a mile south-west) and Bull's Head pub (under half a mile north). The nearest railway station is Chiswick station, roughly 0.5 miles south-east. A little further out are Livat Hammersmith (2.2 miles east) and Barnes Hospital (1.5 miles south-east). Not far away are Kew Gardens Lake and Duke's Hollow.
Why act early in Kew
Even if you go ahead regardless, knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan. The report shows what needs doing first, and you can line up a roofer before small faults grow. In a London terrace or conversion, a roof defect rarely stays your problem alone: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What you get with us
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- 98% customer satisfaction
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Package prices that include VAT
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.