Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Old Town, Greater London
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Old Town, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Pre-purchase roof survey in Old Town: what you get
A Basic Survey starts from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where applicable and a same-day report. Choose the level that suits the home you’re buying. Every package comes with a written report, photos and recommendations. We survey lead flashings and valleys, natural slate and the roof space, and common reasons people get in touch are ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof and gutters choked with leaves and moss.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, and a home in Old Town 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.
- Place
- Old Town (CR0, CR9, CR90)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Old Town
The wider area around Old Town has a long history of building, with Addington Palace about 3 miles east. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. If your home in Old Town is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Take an older house close to Croydon Minster: the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. For a London address like Old Town, it’s useful to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space.
Old Town is about 1 mile north-west of Croydon, in Greater London. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Old Town. Old Town is one of the places in Greater London where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in CR0, CR9 and CR90 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Local streets include Park Lane, Fell Road and Abbey Road, all of which we cover. If you are just outside Old Town, we cover Waddon (1 mile south-west), Broad Green (1 mile north), Beddington (1 mile west), Bandonhill (1 mile south-west) and Russell Hill (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include London (9 miles north), City of Westminster (10 miles north), Marylebone (10 miles north), Kensington (10 miles north-west), St Pancras (11 miles north) and Shoreditch (11 miles north).
Landmarks near Old Town
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Rutherford School, The Gun Tavern and St Andrew's CofE School and the streets around them. Old Town has its own railway station: West Croydon station. A little further out are Croydon University Hospital (1.2 miles north) and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (1.3 miles south-west). Open spaces near Old Town include Roundshaw Downs and Duppas Hill.
Nearby places to Old Town
Also in Old Town
Questions from Old Town
Is my home in Old Town listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Are there drone restrictions around Old Town?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. 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. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Do you work in Old Town?
Yes. We cover Old Town and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. For a price, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If access isn’t possible, we note it in the report.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It is not a RICS survey and doesn’t cover the rest of the house.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Old Town?
The fixings and underlay often fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but corroded nails let slates slip. It’s a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from ground level.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Flashings that have lifted or split
For landlords with property near West Croydon station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Before booking anyone
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Their report turnaround times
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
The survey, step by step
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, from the ground, from windows, in the roof space and by drone where applicable. Most surveys take between one and two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. For a visit in Old Town, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at what can be seen safely from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it’s safe, the roof itself.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before we arrive
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Keep pets in another room
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney stacks
Our chimney check is a visual one, not a flue, gas or sweep inspection. We’ll say if the flue needs a specialist.
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, frequently over an extension. Felt roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Plenty of buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. The report shows what needs doing first, and you can line up a roofer before small faults grow. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. Knowing what’s needed early gives you time to plan it calmly, rather than in a rush after a leak.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- Package prices that include VAT
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- 98% customer satisfaction
- A written report with photos
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work with less disruption.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.