Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Plumstead, Greater London
Pre-purchase roof surveys across Plumstead, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- A ridge or slope that dips
Plumstead: your questions answered
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Plumstead?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around London City Airport covers Plumstead, or comes right up to its edge. Before any flight there, we ask the airport for permission, and the flight only goes ahead if it’s given. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and 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. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying.
How do I find out if my home in Plumstead is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain is typically fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In high wind or heavy rain, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where possible, yes. We look in the roof space where there’s safe access, and upstairs windows give useful views. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Where it is safe, yes. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where applicable.
How long does the survey visit take?
On site, it normally takes between one and two hours at a typical home, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
When will the report arrive?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed with photos included.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Plumstead: what you get
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We check as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it’s checked as far as access allows. If you’ve noticed quick fixes on flashings and valleys and chimney mortar that has eroded, we can find out what’s behind it, on the roof space, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers alike.
London terraces and converted houses often share a roof line, chimney stacks and gutters with the house next door, with parapet walls and party-wall upstands marking where one roof ends and the next begins. That matters for anyone buying in Plumstead or checking a new roof there: we inspect what we’re given access to and can see safely, which may not include a neighbour’s side. If it is a flat, the lease normally sets out who is responsible for the roof.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Place
- Plumstead (SE18, SE28, E16)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs and buyers in Plumstead
The flight restriction zone around London City Airport covers Plumstead, or comes right up to its edge. Where the drone is part of the survey, we ask the airport for permission first, and only fly if it’s given. Historic houses such as Danson House, about 2.7 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Plumstead goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for Plumstead. For landlords with property near Plumstead station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Plumstead is about 8 miles east of London, in Greater London. Anywhere in Plumstead, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our Greater London coverage includes Plumstead and the places around it. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the SE18, SE28 and E16 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Moy Lane, Love Lane and Tuam Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Plumstead sits on or near the A206. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Woolwich (1 mile west), Shooter's Hill (1 mile south-west), East Wickham (1 mile south-east), Charlton (2 miles west) and New Charlton (2 miles west). Further out, we also cover London (8 miles west), City of Westminster (10 miles west), Marylebone (10 miles west), Kensington (12 miles west), St Pancras (9 miles west) and Shoreditch (7 miles west).
Near you in Plumstead
Around Plumstead, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, Plumstead Manor School and Plumstead Common. Plumstead has its own railway station: Plumstead station. Other landmarks nearby include British Hospital for Mothers and Babies (1.3 miles west) and Greenwich Castle (3.6 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Gilbert's Pit.
What we’re asked to look at in Plumstead
A chimney stack stands out in the wind and rain and they’re often the least maintained part of a roof. Mortar erodes, the flaunching around the pots cracks and the flashings work loose. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which can affect how any work is arranged.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- A ridge or slope that dips
The streets around a church such as St John's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How soon the report will arrive
- What the survey will not cover
- Whether you get a written report with photos
What we look for on each type of roof
Natural slate
Older slate roofs often have bitumen felt under them, and very old ones may have none. Where we can see it from the loft, we say what condition it’s in.
Clay and concrete tiles
Concrete interlocking tiles are common on post-war and newer homes. They wear slowly, but surfaces erode and edges crack.
How the survey works
The visit usually 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 a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In Plumstead, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from ground level, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we are coming
Getting a price
We confirm the price for your survey before you book, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
Tips that help
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. They’ll see exactly what we found, and where, which makes quotes easier to compare.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A seller may honestly not know the state of the roof. Their answers on the property forms only cover what they know about. An independent look tells you how the roof is now. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A small blockage left for a few winters becomes a damp problem.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Every finding written up with photos
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
Also near Plumstead
Other services in Plumstead
Surveys for landlords and agents in Plumstead
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps when budgeting.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.