Buckinghamshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Little Ickford, Buckinghamshire
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you spend money on it. Pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Ickford, with photos and a clear written report.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
Questions from Little Ickford
Is my home in Little Ickford 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. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will you come out to Little Ickford?
Yes, Little Ickford is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It isn’t a replacement for a RICS survey.
Do you need access inside the house?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If access is not possible, we note it in the report.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We check the parts we are given access to.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
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. The outcome is between you and the seller, so we cannot promise any saving.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Little Ickford: what you get
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 photographs that show you exactly where. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it is clear what it means for your purchase. We survey clay and concrete tiles, the roof space and lead flashings and valleys, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are blocked or leaking gutters and lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney.
Some older homes in villages like Little Ickford are listed or sit in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, and where it can wait, that is said too.
- Location
- Little Ickford (HP18)
- Wider area
- Buckinghamshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What happens on the day
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Older rural homes like those around Little Ickford 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, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking 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. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Different roofs, different checks
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
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. We check their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
What we’re asked to look at in Little Ickford
Many roofs have had quick fixes over the years. Bitumen painted over a flashing, mortar where lead should be, or a few tiles that do not match can be signs that something has leaked before. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Old water stains in the roof space
If you live in an older home near Parish Church of St Nicholas, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs frequently have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether VAT is added on top
Practical tips
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Each defect is explained in plain words, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, especially after autumn. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
Places near Little Ickford
What else we do in Little Ickford
Why get it checked now?
Lots of buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. The report shows what needs doing first, so you can plan work before small faults get bigger. Older cottages and farmhouses around Little Ickford can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we will tell you which fits.
Why us?
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Visits on any day of the week
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Ickford: local notes
If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. A number of Buckinghamshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most.
If you let a flat or house near Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. Boarstall Tower, about 4.8 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Little Ickford. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later.
Little Ickford is about 4 miles west of Thame, in Buckinghamshire. In Little Ickford, as across Buckinghamshire, every roof gets the same careful survey. Little Ickford is one of the towns and villages in Buckinghamshire we cover. There’s also a page for Oxford.
All of HP18 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. Whether your property is on Bulls Lane and Little Ickford or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Other places close to Little Ickford include Ickford (1 mile north-west), Shabbington (1 mile east), Draycott (1 mile south-west), Worminghall (1 mile north-west) and Albury (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Aylesbury (11 miles east), Elmhurst (11 miles north-east), Southcourt (11 miles east), Princes Risborough (10 miles east), Haydon Hill (10 miles north-east) and Turnfurlong (12 miles east).
What’s near Little Ickford
Around Little Ickford, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Royal Oak pub. Little Ickford’s nearest station is Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, about 4.9 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Waterperry Gardens Rural Museum (1.6 miles west) and Thame Community Hospital (3.7 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Bernwood Meadows.