Greater London · London and the South East
Old Coulsdon Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Old Coulsdon, from an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
What affects the price in Old Coulsdon
Prices always include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- The size of the roof
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Basic, Standard or Premium
For a price for your roof in Old Coulsdon, call 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Helping us price your survey
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just tell us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- When you need the report by
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Old Coulsdon
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, and the roof is only one part of it. We don’t offer a RICS home survey, and ours is not a substitute for one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photographs of what we find and written recommendations. The two sit side by side. Common reasons to book are quick fixes on flashings and valleys and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, on natural slate, lead flashings and valleys and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
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 Old Coulsdon, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a proper look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Where
- Old Coulsdon (CR5, CR3, CR8)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Flat roofs
Repeated coatings on a flat roof can mask what’s underneath. We record what we can see and say where a closer look is needed.
Chimney stacks
Leaning stacks, loose pots and eroded mortar are common findings. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Old Coulsdon
Outer London has plenty of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. Addington Palace, about 5 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Old Coulsdon. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Landlords with a home close to Coulsdon South station may find that it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. As a London address, Old Coulsdon can be tricky for parking: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking, as a space near the door can’t be promised.
Old Coulsdon is about 1 mile south-east of Coulsdon, in Greater London. Old Coulsdon is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for homes and businesses alike. Our area takes in places right across Greater London. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: CR5, CR3 and CR8. Local streets include Ellis Road, Tollers Lane and Court Avenue. We also cover the places around Old Coulsdon: Coulsdon (1 mile north-west), Chipstead (2 miles west), Purley (2 miles north), Woodcote (2 miles north-west) and Woodmansterne (3 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (14 miles north), City of Westminster (15 miles north), Marylebone (15 miles north), Kensington (14 miles north), Whitechapel (15 miles north) and Brompton (14 miles north).
Around Old Coulsdon
In Old Coulsdon, that means homes and buildings near Sunnydown School, Dollypers Hill and The Tudor Rose pub, among other places. Old Coulsdon’s nearest station is Coulsdon South station, roughly 1.4 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find East Surrey Museum (2 miles south-east) and St Lawrence's Hospital (1.3 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Nore Hill and Mercers Lake.
What happens on the day
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Surveys in Old Coulsdon can be booked for any day of the week. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- You book once your offer is accepted and let us know the address and your timetable.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Preparing for the visit
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
Book a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Read more
When to book a survey in Old Coulsdon
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but corroded nails let slates slip. It’s a frequent finding on older houses.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
If you live in an older home near Church of St John the Evangelist, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Will the report include photos?
- When you’ll get the report
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Places near Old Coulsdon
Other services in Old Coulsdon
DIY checks: what’s safe
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.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Common questions in Old Coulsdon
Are there drone restrictions around Old Coulsdon?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and 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. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Old Coulsdon?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS home survey. It works alongside a home survey.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with the building owner or managing agent. Tell us about it as you book and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access when you book.
Will you need to get into the loft?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If access is not possible, we note it in the report.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes, you can. You will 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.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Old Coulsdon
Letting agents and landlords in Old Coulsdon book surveys as well as homeowners. A photo-illustrated written report gives you a clear record of the roof.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.