Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Northwood, Greater London
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Northwood. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Can I check my roof myself?
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Northwood
A Basic Survey starts from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. Standard adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. Premium goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where it applies and a same-day report. Choose the level that suits the home you are buying. Every package comes with a written report, photos and recommendations. If you’re worried about signs of past leaks inside the loft and gutters choked with leaves and moss, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Many London homes have been converted into flats, extended at the back or given a loft conversion with a dormer. Each change adds roof details, like flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in Northwood, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a close look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
It is not only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Location
- Northwood (HA6)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Northwood
More services for Northwood
FAQs for Northwood
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Northwood?
Parking in Northwood, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot, so mention what’s available when booking.
Are there drone restrictions around Northwood?
Normally it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. 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. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photographs. It isn’t a RICS survey and does not cover the rest of the house.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
What’s the best way to book?
It’s easiest to call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Give us the address and some details about the roof. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
How long will you be at the property?
It normally takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, like 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 a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Northwood
About 3.3 miles south-east lies Headstone Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Northwood has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
If you live in an older home near Emmanuel Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Northwood is in London, so parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier, as a space near the door can’t be promised.
Northwood is about 3 miles south-east of Rickmansworth, in Greater London. In Northwood, as across Greater London, every roof gets the same careful survey. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in London.
Every address in HA6 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. You will find streets such as Little Stream Close and Sandy Lodge Way, all of which we cover. We also cover Eastbury (1 mile north-east), Moor Park (1 mile north-west), Batchworth Heath (1 mile west), Batchworth (2 miles north-west) and Holywell (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (14 miles south-east), Marylebone (14 miles south-east), Kensington (12 miles south-east), St Pancras (14 miles south-east), Hampstead (11 miles south-east) and Ruislip (3 miles south).
Near you in Northwood
Around Northwood, our work takes us to homes and buildings near King George V Playing Fields, The Gate Public House and London School of Theology. Northwood’s nearest station is Carpenders Park station, about 1.7 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Harlequin Centre (2.9 miles north-east) and Heath Robinson Museum (2.2 miles south-east). Not far away are Dews Farm Sand Pits and Tumbling Bay.
What we do, step by step
The visit normally starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. All told, expect about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Many London properties are flats or terraces with no side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents when you book.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed ahead of time.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Tell us where we can park nearby
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Read more
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Northwood
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
What happens if roof problems are left?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit on any day of the week, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A blocked outlet ignored for a winter or two can mean damp walls inside.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with VAT included. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the exact price before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Northwood
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- 20+ years’ experience
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Practical tips
Small things make a difference. Some pointers:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask the agent to make sure the loft hatch can be opened
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so questions can go to the seller’s solicitor. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.
When to book a survey in Northwood
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It’s often found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We don’t test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
If you let a flat or house near Carpenders Park station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether the price includes VAT