Essex · London and the South East
Matching Tye Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Matching Tye, and put it all in a written report with photographs.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Matching Tye
The best time to book is once your offer has been accepted and before you exchange contracts. That’s when the findings are most useful, while you are not yet committed. Visits run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when the chain is moving fast. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. If you’ve noticed lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and blocked or leaking gutters, we can find out what’s behind it, on clay and concrete tiles, lead flashings and valleys and flat-roofed extensions and dormers alike.
Somewhere as small as Matching Tye, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you’re buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Matching Tye (CM17)
- Region
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips that help
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and keep the photographs to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, especially after autumn. Blocked gutters cause much of the damp we see. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Matching Tye: local notes
Barrington Hall, about 4.5 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Matching Tye. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
For landlords with property near Harlow Mill station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. If you live in an older home near Parish Church of St Mary, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Matching Tye is about 3 miles east of Harlow, in Essex. Matching Tye is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Across Essex, we cover Matching Tye. Our Chelmsford page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the CM17 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Local streets include Rainbow Road and Harlow Road, and we cover them all. We also cover Matching (1 mile north-east), Housham Tye (1 mile west), Loyter's Green (1 mile south), Newman's End (1 mile north) and Magdalen Laver (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Chelmsford (13 miles east), Harlow (3 miles west), Brentwood (12 miles south-east), Billericay (14 miles south-east), Loughton (11 miles south-west) and Waltham Abbey (10 miles south-west).
Near you in Matching Tye
We work in homes and buildings around Gibberd Garden and the streets around them. The closest station to Matching Tye is Harlow Mill station, roughly 2.7 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Harlow Mill (2.9 miles west) and Mark Hall Cycle Museum (2.9 miles west). The countryside around Matching Tye includes Sawbridgeworth Marsh.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That rarely shows the back slope, the valleys or the top of the chimney. We fill that gap before you are tied in. Around Matching Tye, older homes often have old roof timbers, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT.
What you get with us
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
What happens on the day
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photographs as we go and make notes for the report. It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. For a village or hamlet like Matching Tye, the journey is planned ahead of time: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can safely be seen, inside and out.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Keep pets in another room
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.
Related advice
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The roof’s overall size
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where applicable) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
What we need to know
We will normally ask about:
- The address and postcode of the property
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Common questions in Matching Tye
Do you carry out roof surveys in Matching Tye?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Matching Tye as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Is Matching Tye within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it is safe. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
What if it rains on the day?
It depends on the weather and the survey. High wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access when you book.
Towns and villages near Matching Tye
What else we do in Matching Tye
For landlords and managing agents
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Roof by roof
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. Where we can see it from the loft, we say what condition it is in.
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings.