Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Lodge Lees, Kent
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Lodge Lees, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Lodge Lees questions
Will you come out to Lodge Lees?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Lodge Lees?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where possible, yes. We look in the loft space where there is safe access, and upstairs windows give useful views. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
When will the report arrive?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard reports within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. We send it by email with photos included.
How do I book a survey in Lodge Lees?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. Give us the address and a few details about the roof, and we will take it from there. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Lodge Lees
Buyers in Lodge Lees 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, we follow the same careful process. The report says what’s in good order, what is not and what to deal with first. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. If you’re worried about slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and standing water on a flat extension roof, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Somewhere as small as Lodge Lees, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are 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.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Where
- Lodge Lees (CT4)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why get it checked now?
After exchange, any roof defect is yours to deal with. Before then, you can still ask questions, ask for work to be done or reconsider. A survey after you’ve moved in tells you the same things, but too late to use them in the purchase. For an older or listed building in a place like Lodge Lees, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and which survey you book.
Why book us in Lodge Lees
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Every finding written up with photos
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Don’t leave it until just before exchange
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Let us know your exchange date when you book
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
With the findings in hand, you can talk to the seller or their agent. You might ask for the work to be done before completion, or ask to adjust the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
What happens on the day
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof, but as a rough guide the survey takes an hour or two for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. In a hamlet or village like Lodge Lees, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We look at 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 report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
How to book
If you’re buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.
Related advice
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
Leaning stacks, loose pots and eroded mortar are common findings. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and South East England. Worn or cracked lead lets water straight into the roof, and lead is also a target for theft.
Lodge Lees homes and their roofs
Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Mary Magdalene, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Historic houses such as Acrise Place, about 3.4 miles south, show how far back building around Lodge Lees goes. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
Lodge Lees is about 7 miles north-west of Dover, in Kent. In Lodge Lees, as across Kent, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Canterbury is in our area too.
Every address in CT4 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also cover the places around Lodge Lees: Denton (1 mile east), Breach (1 mile west), Wootton (1 mile south-east), Shelvin (1 mile east) and Selsted (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Ashford (13 miles west), Canterbury (7 miles north-west), Dover (7 miles south-east), Folkestone (7 miles south), Ramsgate (15 miles north-east) and Whitstable (13 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Lodge Lees
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Jumping Downs and The Jackdaw Inn and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Shepherds Well station, roughly 3 miles east of the centre. For a walk, there’s Cheriton Hill.
What you can safely check yourself
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
What we are asked to look at in Lodge Lees
Rear extensions, dormers and garages frequently have flat roofs. Felt flat roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. A buyer can easily miss them, particularly when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
Landlords with a home close to Shepherds Well station may find that it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Are they insured for the work?