Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in London Docklands
We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in London Docklands and the rest of Greater London. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in London Docklands
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. That’s when the findings are most useful, because nothing is binding yet. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. We are frequently asked to look into flashings that have lifted or split and a ridge or slope that dips, on the roof space, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and clay and concrete tiles.
London terraces and converted houses often share a roof line, chimney stacks and gutters with the house next door. That matters for anyone buying in London Docklands or checking a new roof there: only the parts we’re given access to and can see safely are inspected. If it is a flat, the lease normally sets out who is responsible for the roof.
The report records the roof as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Where
- London Docklands (E14, SE16, E22)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. In total, it takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In London Docklands, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they frequently give the best view of a rear addition.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed ahead of time.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
How to book
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Buying a home or a new roof in London Docklands
The wider area around London Docklands has a long history of building, with Queen's House about 1.8 miles south. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that cannot be seen from the pavement. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
If you live in an older home near St Peter's Church, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges. If you let a flat or house near Canary Wharf station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
London Docklands is about 2 miles north-west of Greenwich, in Greater London. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in London Docklands. Across Greater London, we cover London Docklands and the places around it.
Every address in E14, SE16 and E22 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Castor Lane, Cassilis Road and Dockyard Lane, and we cover them all. Main roads around London Docklands include the A1206 and A1261, which makes travel easy. We also cover the places around London Docklands: Canary Wharf (1 mile west), Poplar (1 mile north), Heron Quays (1 mile south-west), Coldharbour (1 mile east) and Blackwall (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (3 miles west), City of Westminster (6 miles west), Marylebone (6 miles west), Kensington (8 miles west), St Pancras (5 miles west) and Shoreditch (3 miles north-west).
Around London Docklands
Typical jobs here are in homes near Sir John McDougall Gardens, Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School and The Ledger Building pub and the streets around them. London Docklands has its own railway station: Canary Wharf station. Well-known places in the area include Greenwich Castle (2 miles south) and Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (1.4 miles south-west). Open spaces near London Docklands include St. James's Park Lake and Lavender Pond.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Which survey package you book
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and the package you choose.
Helping us price your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Checking the roof from the ground
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Tips from our surveys
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Mention any deadline when you get in touch
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. You might ask for the work to be done before completion, or ask to adjust the price. The outcome is between you and the seller, and we cannot promise any result.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. 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.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in London Docklands
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. 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. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for London Docklands.
What to check before booking
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Their report turnaround times
- What the survey will not cover
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
Common questions in London Docklands
Can you fly a drone over a roof in London Docklands?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. London Docklands is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. We ask the airport for permission before flying there, and only fly if it is given. The restricted area over the Isle of Dogs, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 1 mile from London Docklands. We check whether the address falls inside it, and if it does we apply for permission, which isn’t always given. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in London Docklands?
Parking in London Docklands, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It isn’t a RICS survey and does not cover the rest of the house.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that is where a roof survey helps. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
Do you cover London Docklands for pre-purchase roof surveys?
Yes. Our area covers London and South East England, London Docklands included.
Will you climb onto the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the roof space.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so the freeholder or managing agent needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
Nearby places to London Docklands
Other services in London Docklands
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will point you to the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in London Docklands
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate