Greater London · London and the South East
Petts Wood Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A careful look at the roof at your property in Petts Wood, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Petts Wood
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey chimney stacks, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and gutters and downpipes, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are damp timbers or stains in the loft and quick fixes on flashings and valleys.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, so a property in Petts Wood might be any of these. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, the details that cause trouble depend on the age of the building. Slate roofs, butterfly valleys, parapet gutters and flat-roofed rear additions each have their own weak points.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Petts Wood (BR5, BR6, BR2)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Petts Wood?
Rear extensions, dormers and garages often have flat roofs. A felt roof often lasts around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. They’re easy to overlook on a viewing, especially when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for Petts Wood.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Are they insured for the work?
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether VAT is added on top
What happens if roof problems are left?
Once you exchange, the roof’s problems become yours. Before then, you can still ask questions, ask for work to be done or reconsider. A survey after you’ve moved in tells you the same things, but with far less room to act on them. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. That is a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan, rather than in a rush after a leak.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
Why us?
- Prices that include VAT
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Petts Wood
Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
If you live in an older home near St Francis Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. With Bromley Palace about 2.6 miles north-west, the area around Petts Wood has a long history. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Petts Wood is about 1 mile west of Orpington, in Greater London. If you are in Petts Wood, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Here we cover the BR5, BR6 and BR2 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. You’ll find streets such as Tent Peg Lane, Ryecroft Road and Beaumont Road, all of which we cover. We also cover the places around Petts Wood: Crofton (1 mile south), Broom Hill (1 mile south-east), Southborough (1 mile west), Locksbottom (1 mile south-west) and Bromley Common (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include London (11 miles north-west), City of Westminster (13 miles north-west), Marylebone (13 miles north-west), Kensington (14 miles north-west), St Pancras (13 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (12 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Petts Wood
Typical jobs here are in homes near Jubilee Country Park, Bromley High School and Daylight Inn. Petts Wood has its own railway station: Petts Wood station. Other landmarks nearby include Bridgeways Day Hospital (1.5 miles west) and Crofton Roman Villa (1.2 miles south-east). Not far away are The Warren and Summer Hill.
Petts Wood questions
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Petts Wood?
London parking needs a little planning, so let us know about permits, bays or a driveway when booking. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Are there drone restrictions around Petts Wood?
That depends on where the roof is and on 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. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
How do I book a survey in Petts Wood?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof. Surveys run seven days a week.
How long does the survey visit take?
The visit typically takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. We will give you an idea of timing when booking.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS home survey. It works alongside a home survey.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
What you can safely check yourself
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney stacks
Leaning stacks, loose pots and eroded mortar are common findings. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many leaks start at a flashing, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Petts Wood
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed ahead of time. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant ahead of time.
Nearby places to Petts Wood
What else we do in Petts Wood
How the survey works
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that is worrying you. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen, from the ground, from windows, in the roof space and by drone where applicable. The survey typically takes about 1–2 hours at most homes, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In a London conversion, the way into the loft space is frequently from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Petts Wood runs like any other.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe 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 the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.