Essex · London and the South East
Little Burstead Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Know where you stand with the roof before you decide what to do next. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Burstead, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Tips that help
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Mention any deadline when you get in touch
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and keep the photographs to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Little Burstead
Some roofs cannot be seen well from ground level or from windows. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where applicable, a drone inspection, and the report arrives the same day. Where a flight is not possible, because of airspace rules or the weather, we tell you and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey lead flashings and valleys, natural slate and the roof space, and people most often book us about worn or lifted lead flashings and ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof.
Some older homes in villages like Little Burstead are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you are buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- Little Burstead (CM12)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Burstead: local notes
The wider area around Little Burstead has a long history of building, with Ingatestone Hall about 4 miles north. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. In Essex, older buildings are often clay-tiled, many with weatherboarding, alongside lots of post-war and newer estates. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. If you own a rental within reach of Billericay station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Little Burstead is about 2 miles south of Billericay, in Essex. We survey roofs in Little Burstead and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Essex. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Every address in CM12 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. Whether your property is on Broomhills Chase, Laindon Common Road and Clock House Road or anywhere close by, we can help. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Great Burstead (1 mile east), Billericay (2 miles north), Crays Hill (3 miles east), Ramsden Bellhouse (3 miles east) and Ramsden Heath (3 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (10 miles north), Basildon (3 miles south-east), Brentwood (5 miles west), Maldon (14 miles north-east), Canvey Island (9 miles south-east) and Rayleigh (8 miles east).
Around Little Burstead
Around Little Burstead, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Billericay School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Billericay station, roughly 1.7 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Eastgate Shopping Centre (3.2 miles south-east) and Mayflower Community Hospital (1.2 miles north). Not far away are Norsey Wood.
Checking the roof from the ground
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we look at the roof.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
What we do, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photos. On timing, most surveys take an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Older roofs in small places like Little Burstead can have low, tight loft spaces, so it helps to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it is safe.
- 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.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Booking a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Related advice
For landlords and managing agents
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client, photos included.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the addresses.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
Ponding, blistering, splits and worn upstands are the usual warning signs. We look at outlets too, since a blocked one leaves water sitting on the roof, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
Gutters and parapets
The rainwater system keeps water off the walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs, along with fascias and soffits.
Common questions in Little Burstead
Is my home in Little Burstead listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you cover smaller places like Little Burstead?
Yes, Little Burstead is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
How experienced are you?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. The outcome is between you and the seller, so we cannot promise any saving.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it is safe, yes. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
How soon is the report ready?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. We send it by email, with photographs.
Nearby places to Little Burstead
Other services in Little Burstead
What this survey cannot tell you
Every survey has limits, and it’s better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- A structural engineer’s report
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Little Burstead
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate