Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Merton, Greater London
Independent pre-purchase roof surveys in Merton. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
What we do, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In Merton, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is often by permit or pay-and-display, so it’s useful to know what’s near you. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Getting ready for the survey
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Booking a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Related advice
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Merton
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. If you’ve noticed signs of past leaks inside the loft and slipped or missing slates and tiles, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, and a home in Merton could be any of them. Whether the roof is old or newly laid, the problem areas depend on how and when the building went up. Slate roofs, butterfly valleys, parapet gutters and flat-roofed rear additions each have their own weak points.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Where
- Merton (SW19)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
All our prices include VAT. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. You will know the price for the job before booking.
Booking your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
We confirm the exact price before you book, so you know the cost up front. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Why get it checked now?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit seven days a week, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. London’s older roofs often have bitumen felt underlay or none at all, so a slipped slate can soon mean water inside. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the exact price before booking.
Why book us in Merton
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Surveys on any day of the week
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
Merton questions
Is my home in Merton listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Are there drone restrictions around Merton?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea comes within about 2 miles of Merton. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It does not stand in for a RICS survey.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In high wind or heavy rain, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from the ground, from windows and from the roof space. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
How many surveys have you done?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years, across London and South East England.
What we can’t see
No survey can tell you everything, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
Other services in Merton
Local roofs and buyers in Merton
Merton is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. If the drone is used for your survey, the exact boundary is checked for the address first. With Southside House about 1.8 miles west, Merton sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you own a rental within reach of Haydons Road station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St John The Divine, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. Parking in Merton, as in most of London, takes a little planning: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book.
Merton is about 1 mile south-east of Wimbledon, in Greater London. From houses to flats and shops in Merton, the roof can be surveyed. Merton is one of the places in Greater London we cover. You can also see our page for London.
Surveys in SW19 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Streets in the area include High Path, Pincott Road and Hayward Close, and we cover them all. Being close to the A24, Merton is simple for us to get to for pre-purchase roof surveys. Other places close to Merton include Merton Abbey (1 mile east), South Wimbledon (1 mile north-west), Colliers Wood (1 mile east), Tooting Bec (1 mile north-east) and Summerstown (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover London (7 miles north-east), City of Westminster (7 miles north), Marylebone (7 miles north), Kensington (6 miles north), St Pancras (8 miles north) and Shoreditch (9 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Merton
We work in homes and buildings around The Nelson Arms, Wimbledon School of Art and Wandle Park, among other places. Merton’s nearest station is Haydons Road station, roughly 0.8 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include Southside Wandsworth (2.8 miles north) and St George's Hospital (1.1 miles north-east). For a walk, there is Henman Hill and Merton Park Green Walks.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Merton
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the survey around it.