Essex · London and the South East
Marks Tey Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A careful look at the roof at your property in Marks Tey, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Marks Tey
Some roofs cannot be seen well from ground level or from windows. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey gutters and downpipes, natural slate and the roof space, and people most frequently book us about gaps where slates or tiles have come loose and blocked or leaking gutters.
Somewhere as small as Marks Tey, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Whether you’re 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 Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Marks Tey (CO6)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: 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. Cottages and farmhouses around Marks Tey frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- 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.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Related advice
For landlords and managing agents
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or email us.
What affects the price in Marks Tey
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. You’ll know the figure before booking.
What to tell us when you get in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- Anything about access we should know
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form, tell us about the property and we’ll recommend the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Marks Tey homes and their roofs
Clay tiles and timber weatherboarding mark out many of the older buildings in Essex, and plenty of post-war and modern estates besides. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. With Layer Marney Tower about 3.9 miles south, Marks Tey sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
For landlords with property near Marks Tey station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. If you live in an older home near Church of St Andrew, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Marks Tey is about 6 miles west of Colchester, in Essex. Bookings from Marks Tey are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Marks Tey is one of the towns and villages in Essex where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Chelmsford page.
Surveys in CO6 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Local streets include London Road, Well Side and Patten Close, and we cover them all. If you are just outside Marks Tey, we cover Little Tey (1 mile west), Easthorpe (1 mile south), Mulberry Green (1 mile south-east), Copford (1 mile east) and Broad Green (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as Colchester (6 miles east), Chelmsford (15 miles south-west), Braintree (9 miles west), Maldon (11 miles south), Witham (8 miles south-west) and Camulodunum (5 miles east).
Landmarks near Marks Tey
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Red Lion Public House and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Marks Tey station, roughly 0.8 miles north-east. Nearby you’ll also find Birch Castle (3.2 miles south-east) and Essex County Hospital (5.3 miles east). Not far away are Iron Latch.
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Let us know your timetable
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
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. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s, and we cannot promise any result.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Can I check my roof myself?
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
A lot can be seen from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Also near Marks Tey
Also in Marks Tey
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Marks Tey
Do you carry out roof surveys in Marks Tey?
Yes. We work right across London and South East England, and Marks Tey is part of that. Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the property.
Do you cover smaller places like Marks Tey?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one.
Is this an asbestos survey?
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.
How do I book a survey in Marks Tey?
Simply phone 07833 053749 or email us. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
How quickly will I get the report?
That depends on which survey you choose: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Let us know your exchange date and we will help you choose.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs.
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Where pegs have rotted, tiles can slip.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.