Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Little Wittenham
Not sure what state the roof is in? We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Little Wittenham and across Oxfordshire, with plain-English findings.
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Little Wittenham
Buyers in Little Wittenham and right across London and the South East use our pre-purchase roof survey. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, the roof gets the same careful look. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email. We survey clay and concrete tiles, lead flashings and valleys and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and people most often book us about cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing and bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs.
Being in a small place like Little Wittenham makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Little Wittenham (OX14)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Little Wittenham: your questions answered
Do you carry out roof surveys in Little Wittenham?
Yes, Little Wittenham is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Little Wittenham as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Is my home in Little Wittenham 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’s 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.
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.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is typically fine; heavy rain and wind are different. Strong wind or a downpour can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Little Wittenham?
Chimneys take the worst of the weather. Mortar erodes, the flaunching around the pots cracks and the flashings work loose. A stack may be shared with the neighbours, which can affect how any work is arranged.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
If you let a flat or house near Appleford station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
What to check before booking
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What happens after the report arrives
Buying a home or a new roof in Little Wittenham
Cotswold stone slates are found on older buildings in west Oxfordshire, and thatch survives in some of the county’s villages. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. Brightwell Manor, about 1.7 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Little Wittenham. If your house is among 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.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Peter, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Little Wittenham is about 3 miles north-east of Didcot, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in Little Wittenham and the rest of Oxfordshire. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Little Wittenham. For surveys nearby, see our Oxford page.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: OX14. If you’re just outside Little Wittenham, we cover Dorchester (1 mile north-east), Brightwell-cum-Sotwell (2 miles south-east), Burcot (2 miles north), Shillingford (2 miles east) and Berinsfield (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (8 miles north), Didcot (3 miles south-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (5 miles north-west), Thame (12 miles north-east), Wantage (11 miles west) and Henley-on-Thames (14 miles south-east).
Near you in Little Wittenham
For rail, the closest station is Appleford station, about 2.4 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Abingdon Community Hospital (5.5 miles north-west) and Brightwell Castle (1.7 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Mowbray Fields and Wittenham Clumps.
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll recommend the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Why get it checked now?
The lender’s valuation is done for the lender, not for you. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, and it will not look closely at the roof. Our survey is done for you, and the report is written for you to use. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Little Wittenham, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book us in Little Wittenham
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Notes and photographs go into the written report. It normally 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 Little Wittenham can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
How to prepare
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Also near Little Wittenham
More services for Little Wittenham
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and the South East. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and missing lead is not unknown, as it’s a target for thieves.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.