Essex · London and the South East
Little Easton Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Easton from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Little Easton
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. Typical surveys look at bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs and chimney mortar that has eroded, across clay and concrete tiles, natural slate and gutters and downpipes.
Somewhere as small as Little Easton, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Whether you’re buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Little Easton (CM6)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
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.
Nearby places to Little Easton
Also in Little Easton
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Little Easton
Many roofs have had quick fixes over the years. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can be signs that something has leaked before. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
If you let a flat or house near Stansted Airport station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What experience they bring
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- What happens after the report arrives
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
A survey is a careful look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. Its limits include:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
Landlords, agents and block managers in Little Easton
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Little Easton
The wider area around Little Easton has a long history of building, with Horham Hall about 3.5 miles north. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Little Easton is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport. Where the drone is part of the survey, the exact boundary is checked for the address first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary the Virgin, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Little Easton is about 8 miles east of Bishop's Stortford, in Essex. Little Easton is one of many places we visit across Essex, for homes and businesses alike. Our Essex coverage includes Little Easton. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: CM6. Whether your property is on Butchers Pasture, Duck Street and Grenville Close or anywhere close by, we can help. Other places close to Little Easton include Church End (2 miles south-east), Great Dunmow (2 miles south-east), Barnston (3 miles south-east), Great Canfield (4 miles south) and High Roding (4 miles south). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (12 miles south-east), Braintree (10 miles east), Harlow (13 miles south-west), Witham (14 miles south-east), Saffron Walden (10 miles north-west) and Halstead (13 miles east).
What’s near Little Easton
We work in homes and buildings around The Stag pub and the streets around them. The closest station to Little Easton is Stansted Airport station, roughly 3.2 miles west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Little Easton Moat (0.5 miles south-west).
Little Easton questions
Do you cover smaller places like Little Easton?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Little Easton?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. Little Easton is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so the freeholder or managing agent needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
Will the roof report help me negotiate with the seller?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller, so we cannot promise any saving.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
How the survey works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we listen to what’s been worrying you, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photos as we go and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. For a village or hamlet like Little Easton, the journey is planned in advance: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- We email a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Keep pets in another room
Arrange a survey
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, and the Premium Survey includes an in-person consultation. Whichever package you choose, you can ask us what a finding means.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.