Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Pimlico, Greater London
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Pimlico from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Pimlico
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey chimney stacks, natural slate and the roof space, and people most often book us about slipped or missing slates and tiles and flashings that have lifted or split.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, and a home in Pimlico could be any of them. Whether you’re 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.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Pimlico (SW1P, SW1V, SW1W)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Pimlico
How do I find out if my home in Pimlico 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.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Pimlico?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Pimlico is inside, or right on the edge of, the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. Before any flight there, we ask the heliport for permission, and the flight only goes ahead if it is given. 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. High wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
How soon is the report ready?
That depends on which survey you choose: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Let us know your timetable when you book.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it is safe, yes. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you as you book.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we will arrange another day with you.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years, across London and South East England.
DIY checks: what’s safe
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. 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 a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
What else we do in Pimlico
Practical tips
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
Your report arrives by email, with photos of what we found. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Each defect is explained in plain words, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
The survey, step by step
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there’s safe access. All told, expect about 1–2 hours at most homes, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In a London area like Pimlico, the main things to sort out are parking and access: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. On the day, the roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from inside the roof space and from the roof where it is safe.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, inside and out.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave side gates unlocked
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Check pets are kept safely away
Book a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Related advice
Pimlico homes and their roofs
Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. The wider area around Pimlico has a long history of building, with Buckingham Palace about 0.9 miles north. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
For an older house near a landmark like St Gabriel's, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. Parking in Pimlico, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier, as a space near the door can’t be promised. Landlords with a home close to London Victoria station may find that it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Pimlico is about 1 mile east of Brompton, in Greater London. Pimlico is one of many places we visit across Greater London. Pimlico is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys.
We survey roofs across SW1P, SW1V and SW1W for pre-purchase roof surveys. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Ponton Road, Wilton Road and Ebury Square. Main roads around Pimlico include the A202 and A3212, which makes travel easy. Close by, we survey roofs in Victoria (1 mile north-west), Nine Elms (1 mile south-west), Westminster (1 mile north), Millbank (1 mile north) and Vauxhall (1 mile east). Larger places within reach include Kensington (3 miles west), St Pancras (3 miles north), Shoreditch (4 miles north-east), Walthamstow (8 miles north-east), Hoxton (4 miles north-east) and Whitechapel (4 miles north-east).
Around Pimlico
In Pimlico, that means homes and buildings near Lambeth Palace Library, Grosvenor School of Modern Art and Pimlico Gardens, among other places. You’ll also find Denbigh Arms (within half a mile north-west) and Pimlico Academy (under half a mile south-east). The nearest railway station is London Victoria station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. A little further out are Baynard's Castle (2.3 miles north-east) and Harrods (1.3 miles north-west). Not far away are Bellenden Road Nature Garden and Ludgate Hill.
What a survey costs
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on:
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The roof’s overall size
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Booking your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A good many buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. You will know which jobs are urgent and which can wait, so you can plan work before small faults get bigger. Any roof job in Pimlico means planning around parking, neighbours and access. That’s a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- A photo-illustrated written report
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Surveys on weekdays and at weekends
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead flashings seal the joints where a roof meets a wall or chimney. We check whether they’ve lifted, split or been replaced with mortar or bitumen.
Flat roofs
Ponding, blistering, splits and worn upstands are the usual warning signs. We look at outlets too, since a blocked one leaves water sitting on the roof.