Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Manuden Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Manuden. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- A ridge or slope that dips
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
Every price we give includes VAT. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for your roof before booking.
What to tell us when you contact us
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The kind of building and roof involved
To book 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.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Manuden
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Most of it can’t be seen from the street. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so you know what it means for the house you’re buying. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, the roof space and lead flashings and valleys, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are worn or lifted lead flashings and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem.
In a village or hamlet like Manuden, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. 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. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Where
- Manuden (CM23)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Manuden: your questions answered
Is drone flying allowed in Manuden?
Normally it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. The flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport comes within about 1 mile of Manuden. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
How do I find out if my home in Manuden is listed?
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. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where possible, yes. We look in the roof space where there is safe access, and views from upper windows help too. 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. Reports are emailed, with photos.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it’s safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from the ground, from windows and from the loft space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where applicable.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Manuden?
Simply call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day.
The survey, step by step
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. The survey typically takes an hour or two for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Somewhere like Manuden needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- You book once your offer is accepted and tell us the address and your timetable.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- We look at the roof from ground level, from windows, from the roof space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Getting ready for the survey
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Arrange a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Read more
Can I check my roof myself?
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.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Honest limits
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll point you to the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Manuden
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
Landlord and commercial surveys in Manuden
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Nearby places to Manuden
More services for Manuden
Manuden homes and their roofs
Manuden is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport. Where the drone is part of the survey, the exact boundary is checked for the address first. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
For landlords with property near Stansted Mountfitchet station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Mary the Virgin, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Manuden is about 4 miles north of Bishop's Stortford, in Hertfordshire. Manuden is one of many places we visit across Hertfordshire. Across Hertfordshire, we cover Manuden and the places around it. Chelmsford is in our area too.
Here we cover the CM23 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Local streets include The Street, Watts Yard and Mailers Lane, and we cover them all. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Mount Pleasant (1 mile west), Bentfield Green (1 mile south-east), Uppend (1 mile west), Farnham (2 miles south-west) and Stansted Mountfitchet (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (15 miles west), Bishop's Stortford (4 miles south), Hoddesdon (14 miles south-west), Hertford (13 miles south-west), Ware (11 miles south-west) and Broxbourne (14 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Manuden
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Yew Tree Inn. The nearest railway station is Stansted Mountfitchet station, roughly 2 miles south-east. Well-known places in the area include Herts and Essex Hospital (3.8 miles south) and House On The Hill Toy Museum (1.9 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Portingbury Hills and Aubrey Buxton Nature Reserve.
Roof by roof
Gutters and parapets
Parapet and box gutters are hidden behind walls and can overflow inside. We look at their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, often over an extension. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.