Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Mortlake
Wondering about the roof at a property in Mortlake? We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Mortlake and across Greater London.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Landlords, agents and block managers in Mortlake
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Mortlake. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Mortlake: what you get
The best time to book is once your offer has been accepted and before you exchange contracts. At that point you can still ask questions, while you are not yet committed. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. The report comes within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. We’re often asked to look into blistered or split felt on a flat roof and old water stains in the roof space, on gutters and downpipes, natural slate and chimney stacks.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, so a property in Mortlake might be any of these. Whether the roof is old or newly laid, the problem areas depend on how and when the building went up. Slates, hidden valley gutters, parapets and flat roofs over back additions all need checking in their own way.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Place
- Mortlake (SW14, SW13, SW15)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Check we’ll be able to get into the roof space
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Let us know your timetable
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.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
Roof by roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Tiled roofs frequently last half a century or longer. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, and for mismatched replacements that point to past repairs.
Gutters and parapets
Some older terraces have a butterfly roof with a central valley gutter. If the home you are buying has one, that gutter and its outlet get a careful look.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Mortlake
Mortlake is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the exact boundary for the address before flying. Outer London has lots of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
Chiswick House, about 1.3 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Mortlake. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy. If you let a flat or house near Mortlake station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Mortlake is about 3 miles west of Fulham, in Greater London. Mortlake is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small. There is also a page for London.
We cover every part of SW14, SW13 and SW15 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Elm Road, Well Lane and Coval Road or anywhere close by, we can help. Mortlake is on the A3003, which makes it straightforward to reach. We also cover East Sheen (1 mile south-west), North Sheen (1 mile north-west), Barnes (1 mile north-east), Grove Park (1 mile north) and Roehampton (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (8 miles east), City of Westminster (6 miles north-east), Marylebone (6 miles north-east), Kensington (4 miles north-east), St Pancras (8 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (9 miles north-east).
Around Mortlake
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Richmond Park Academy, Hare and Hounds pub and Palewell Park, among other places. There’s a railway station in Mortlake itself: Mortlake station. Well-known places in the area include Ubuntu Museum: African Museum of Humanity (1.1 miles south-east) and Barnes Hospital (less than half a mile east). Open spaces near Mortlake include Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens Lake.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Mortlake
Many roofs have had quick fixes over the years. Bitumen painted over a flashing, mortar where lead should be, or a few tiles that don’t match can be signs that something has leaked before. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
Look out for signs like these:
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
Take an older house close to All Saints' Church: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
What to check before booking
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What the survey will not cover
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
Every survey has limits, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll point you to the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Mortlake
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
Common questions in Mortlake
Is my home in Mortlake listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Mortlake?
It depends on the street. If Mortlake has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer, and a driveway is even better.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
How do I book a survey in Mortlake?
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what you want to find out. We will confirm the price and agree a day with you.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Let us know your preferred days when you book.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes, you can. You’ll have photos and a written description of each defect, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. We cannot promise how the seller will respond.
How the survey works
The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Notes and photographs go into the written report. It usually takes an hour or two for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. From the street, a London terrace usually shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Mortlake we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. If other people live in the building, tell us who can let us into the shared parts.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- 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.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
Arrange a survey
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or send us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.