Essex · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Matching, Essex
Wondering about the roof at a property in Matching? You can book a pre-purchase roof survey in Matching and across Essex.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
Buying a home or a new roof in Matching
About 4.1 miles north-east lies Barrington Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Matching has been built on. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older buildings in Essex frequently have clay tiles and weatherboarding, while many towns grew with post-war and newer estates. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Take an older house close to Parish Church of St Mary: a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Matching is about 4 miles east of Harlow, in Essex. If you’re in Matching, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Our Essex coverage includes Matching and the places around it. There is also a page for Chelmsford.
Here we cover the CM17 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Close by, we survey roofs in Newman's End (1 mile north), Matching Tye (1 mile south-west), Housham Tye (1 mile south-west), Loyter's Green (1 mile south) and Magdalen Laver (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Chelmsford (13 miles east), Harlow (4 miles west), Brentwood (12 miles south), Billericay (15 miles south-east), Loughton (11 miles south-west) and Waltham Abbey (11 miles south-west).
Around Matching
Matching’s nearest station is Sawbridgeworth station, roughly 2.6 miles north-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Mark Hall Cycle Museum (3.2 miles west) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (4.9 miles west). Not far away are Sawbridgeworth Marsh.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Matching
Buyers in Matching and right across London and South East England use our pre-purchase roof survey. Whether it is a terrace, a semi, a detached house or a flat, we follow the same careful process. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We’re insured for professional indemnity and public liability, with more than 20 years’ experience behind us. To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. Typical surveys look at old water stains in the roof space and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, across flat-roofed extensions and dormers, clay and concrete tiles and the roof space.
Older buildings in small places like Matching may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s 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.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Where
- Matching (CM17)
- Region
- Essex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
Sellers are not always aware of roof problems. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today. In a small place like Matching, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking.
Why us?
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
Read what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Matching
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
How the survey changes by roof type
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. From inside the loft space, we report what we can see of it.
Chimney stacks
A leaning stack, cracked flaunching or crumbling pointing can all need work. We note them with photos so you can ask about them.
Useful tips for Matching property owners
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Share the report with your solicitor
It’s worth sharing the report with your solicitor so questions can go to the seller’s solicitor. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions, particularly where we’ve found patch repairs.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Questions from Matching
Is Matching in the area you cover?
Yes, Matching is within the area we cover. We cover the whole of London and South East England. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in Matching is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Ideally, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and upstairs windows give useful views. Access is usually arranged through the agent or seller.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so the building owner or managing agent needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
Can you survey in bad weather?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. High wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we’ll arrange another day with you.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
It’s your choice, but the two do different jobs. A home survey looks at the whole property, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
When to book a survey in Matching
Chimneys take the worst of the weather. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. A stack may be shared with the neighbours, which matters if work is needed.
Look out for signs like these:
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Old water stains in the roof space
For landlords with property near Sawbridgeworth station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What happens after the report arrives
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit normally takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In a hamlet or village like Matching, 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.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We check 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 photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Book a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.