Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Lyford
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Lyford. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
Questions from Lyford
Is Lyford in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs.
How do I find out if my home in Lyford is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
How do I book a survey in Lyford?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us the address and what you want to find out. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It isn’t a replacement for a RICS survey.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we’ll agree the details when booking.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. The report sets out what we found, with photos, which you can share with the seller or agent. We can’t promise how the seller will respond.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. 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 applicable.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Lyford
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. We survey chimney stacks, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and common reasons people get in touch are loose pots and cracked flaunching and gutters choked with leaves and moss.
Some older homes in villages like Lyford are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it is 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.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Location
- Lyford (OX12)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
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. All told, expect about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. For a village or hamlet like Lyford, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, 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 agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from ground level, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it’s safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Book a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know the cost up front. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Nearby places to Lyford
More services for Lyford
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Roof area
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both inc. VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before you book.
Helping us price your survey
The more you tell us, the easier it is to price the survey. When you contact us, it’s useful to mention:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Why get it checked now?
Sellers are not always aware of roof problems. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. An independent look tells you how the roof is now. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Lyford, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
All our prices include VAT. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
What you get with us
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- An independent look at the roof
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
What this survey can’t tell you
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
- Asbestos testing of any kind
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
Common roof problems in Lyford
Flat roofs turn up on extensions, dormers, porches and garages. Felt flat roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, and ponding, blisters and splits are common signs of age. A buyer can easily miss them, because many can only be seen from an upstairs window.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Flashings that have lifted or split
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
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.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Lyford
Historic houses such as Longworth House, about 3.2 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Lyford goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
Lyford is about 4 miles north of Wantage, in Oxfordshire. If you’re in Lyford, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Lyford and the places around it. You can also see our page for Oxford.
Here we cover the OX12 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Charney Bassett (1 mile west), West Hanney (1 mile south-east), Denchworth (2 miles south), Kingston Bagpuize (3 miles north) and Pusey (3 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Oxford (11 miles north-east), Didcot (8 miles east), Abingdon-on-Thames (7 miles east), Witney (10 miles north), Carterton (11 miles north-west) and Wantage (4 miles south).
Local landmarks in Lyford
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Chequers pub. Well-known places in the area include Abingdon Community Hospital (6 miles east) and Hinton Waldrist Castle (3.1 miles north). Not far away are Hitchcopse Pit and Chain Hill.