Hampshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Otterbourne, Hampshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Otterbourne, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
What we cannot see
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before you book. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Otterbourne
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
Pre-purchase roof survey in Otterbourne: what you get
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where it applies and an in-person consultation. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey chimney stacks, clay and concrete tiles and natural slate, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are slipped or missing slates and tiles and lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney.
Being in a small place like Otterbourne makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed in advance. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Whether you’re buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Visits can be booked on any day of the week.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to.
- Place
- Otterbourne (SO21)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Otterbourne
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Otterbourne?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. The flight restriction zone around Southampton Airport comes within about 1 mile of Otterbourne. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. High wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Is Otterbourne within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We survey roofs across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Will you climb onto the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the roof space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where it applies.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find.
The survey, step by step
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 normally takes between one and two hours at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Rural addresses near Otterbourne can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- 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.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
How to prepare
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The roof’s overall size
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 inc. VAT. We will tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What to tell us when you contact us
There’s no need for technical words. It is enough to tell us:
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- What’s prompted the survey
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
What we are asked to look at in Otterbourne
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. That kind of wear is common on older roofs.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- A ridge or slope that dips
If you let a flat or house near Shawford station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
What to check before booking
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What happens after the report arrives
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Whether VAT is added on top
Also near Otterbourne
Also in Otterbourne
Local roofs and buyers in Otterbourne
Thatch survives on some older buildings in Hampshire’s villages. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. Before planning roof work on an older home, find out whether it is listed or in a conservation area. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent, and councils can also use Article 4 directions to control changes in conservation areas.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Matthew are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Otterbourne is about 3 miles north-east of Chandler's Ford, in Hampshire. Wherever you are in Otterbourne, we can come and survey your property. Across Hampshire, we cover Otterbourne and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Southampton page.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: SO21. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Oakwood Avenue, Meadowcroft Close and Brooklyn Close or a nearby road, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include South Down (1 mile north-east), Compton (1 mile north), Shawford (1 mile north-east), Twyford (1 mile north-east) and Ladwell (2 miles west). Further out, we also cover Winchester (4 miles north), Eastleigh (3 miles south), Fareham (13 miles south-east), Andover (15 miles north-west), Totton (9 miles south-west) and Chandler's Ford (3 miles south-west).
Near you in Otterbourne
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Thornden School, The White Horse Public House and Thornden School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Shawford station, roughly 1.1 miles north-east. A little further out are Eastleigh Museum (2.9 miles south) and Wolvesey Castle (3.8 miles north). The countryside around Otterbourne includes Twyford Down and Shawford Down.
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings close the gaps at chimneys, walls and abutments. We check whether they’ve lifted, split or been replaced with mortar or bitumen.
Chimney stacks
A leaning stack, cracked flaunching or crumbling pointing can all need work. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
What you can safely check yourself
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground.