Surrey · London and the South East
Outwood Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A careful look at the roof at your property in Outwood, with photographs and a written report.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
What we do, step by step
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. The whole visit typically takes between one and two hours for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. For a village or hamlet like Outwood, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed ahead of time.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Book a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Outwood
A full home survey looks at the whole property, so the roof is one item among many. We don’t offer a RICS home survey, and ours isn’t a substitute for one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos of what we find and written recommendations. You can have both if you want the fullest picture. If you are worried about quick fixes on flashings and valleys and blocked or leaking gutters, we can find out what’s behind it.
Older buildings in small places like Outwood may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it is worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
The report does not just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Place
- Outwood (RH1)
- Region
- Surrey
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Outwood
Also in Outwood
When to book a survey in Outwood
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Good slate can last well over a century, but corroded nails let slates slip. It is a frequent finding on older houses.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Take an older house close to Church of St John the Baptist: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- When you’ll get the report
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings.
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We record what we can see and say where a closer look is needed.
Leave it or get it looked at?
It is tempting to skip the roof to keep a sale moving. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Outwood, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. You’ll know the figure before booking.
Why book with us
- 98% customer satisfaction
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Outwood
Outwood is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around Redhill Aerodrome. Where the drone is part of the survey, permission from the aerodrome is needed first, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given. Many older homes in Surrey have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old buildings in Surrey. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
For landlords with property near Salfords station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Outwood is about 3 miles east of Horley, in Surrey. Outwood is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Outwood is one of the places in Surrey we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Crawley page.
We survey roofs across the RH1 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Miller's Lane, Bellwether Lane and Scott's Hill. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Smallfield (1 mile south), Horley (3 miles west), Burstow (3 miles south), Fernhill (3 miles south-west) and Keeper's Corner (3 miles south). We also work in nearby towns like Epsom (12 miles north-west), Redhill (4 miles north-west), Ewell (13 miles north-west), Reigate (5 miles north-west), Caterham (7 miles north) and Dorking (10 miles west).
Around Outwood
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Castle pub. The closest station to Outwood is Salfords station, roughly 2.2 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Effingham Park Motor Museum (3.7 miles south) and East Surrey Hospital (2.9 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Bay Pond and Hedgecourt Lake.
Honest limits
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Asbestos testing of any kind
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll point you to the right survey before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
Should I look at the roof myself first?
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 part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Outwood: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Outwood?
Yes, Outwood is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
How do I find out if my home in Outwood is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It is a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access; we’ll agree the details when you book.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.