Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Mill Hill, Kent
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Mill Hill, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
Pre-purchase roof survey in Mill Hill: what you get
A full home survey looks at the whole property, so the roof is one item among many. We don’t offer a RICS home survey, and ours isn’t a substitute for one. What it adds is a closer look at the roof alone, with photos and written recommendations you can act on. The two sit side by side. If you’ve noticed quick fixes on flashings and valleys and damp timbers or stains in the loft, we can find out what’s behind it, on natural slate, chimney stacks and clay and concrete tiles alike.
Houses in smaller places like Mill Hill can stand more in the open than those in a built-up town, which can mean more wind and rain on the roof. Ridges, verges and flashings are where that weather normally shows first. For a purchase or a new roof, those exposed edges are checked closely. Wind lifts anything already loose, so a small fault on an exposed roof doesn’t stay small for long.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Mill Hill (CT14)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlords, agents and block managers in Mill Hill
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photographs included.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- How big the roof is
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Helping us price your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What’s prompted the survey
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
DIY checks: what’s safe
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
It’s useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Local roofs and buyers in Mill Hill
Mill Hill lies within about 2 miles of the sea, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Corroded clips and nails and lifted ridge pieces are typical of exposed roofs near the sea. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
Walmer Castle, about 1.4 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Mill Hill. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area. For landlords with property near Walmer 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 such as St Richard, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Mill Hill is about 1 mile west of Deal, in Kent. We cover Mill Hill and the rest of Kent, as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Canterbury page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in CT14 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Mary Road, Glack Road and Lydia Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. If you are just outside Mill Hill, we cover Great Mongeham (1 mile west), Deal (1 mile east), Sholden (1 mile north), Sholden Meadows (1 mile north) and Walmer (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (14 miles west), Margate (12 miles north), Dover (6 miles south-west), Folkestone (13 miles south-west), Ramsgate (9 miles north) and Broadstairs (11 miles north).
Local landmarks in Mill Hill
We work in homes and buildings around The Mill Inn, Goodwin Academy and Betteshanger Park. The nearest railway station is Walmer station, roughly 0.7 miles south-east. Other landmarks nearby include Kent Museum of the Moving Image (1.3 miles north-east) and Deal Castle (1.3 miles east).
Practical tips
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Check we’ll be able to get into the roof space
- Book once your offer is accepted
It’s worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Also near Mill Hill
What else we do in Mill Hill
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.
Chimney stacks
A stack stands exposed above the roof line. The pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are all checked.
Mill Hill: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Mill Hill?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Mill Hill, take more of a battering?
Places near the sea get more wind and more salt in the air than inland, and both are hard on roofs. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it as you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it is applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
How long does the survey visit take?
On site, it typically takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
What happens on the day
We look at the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. The whole visit usually takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, and longer for a large or complex roof. Being in a smaller place like Mill Hill does not change how the visit works: we look from the ground, from windows, from the loft and from the roof where it is safe. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Before we arrive
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Let us know about parking near the property
Arrange a survey
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.