Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Puttenham, Hertfordshire
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Puttenham, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Puttenham
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. We cannot say how a seller will respond, but you will be asking from facts rather than guesses. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. Typical surveys look at old water stains in the roof space and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints, on the roof space, natural slate and clay and concrete tiles.
Some older homes in villages like Puttenham are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Location
- Puttenham (HP23)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Leave it or get it looked at?
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That won’t show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. A survey fills that gap before you commit, with photos of anything that needs attention. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. That is one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What you get with us
- An independent view of the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Puttenham
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Puttenham?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. RAF Halton is about 3 miles away, so we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before any flight. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Is my home in Puttenham listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do you need to go inside the property?
If it can be arranged, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years, across London and South East England.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it’s safe. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the loft space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we will explain what’s needed.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
Allow roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
How it works
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It usually takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Around Puttenham, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so tell us about the loft hatch and any ladder. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed ahead of time.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Tell us about parking before the day
Arrange a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know where you stand. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date.
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.
What we are asked to look at in Puttenham
Chimneys take the worst of the weather and they’re frequently 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.
Problems we come across often include:
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
With Ascott House about 4.9 miles north, the area around Puttenham has a long history. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy.
What to check before booking
- Their report turnaround times
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Their insurance cover
Local roofs and buyers in Puttenham
RAF Halton is about 3 miles from Puttenham. If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Mary (Church of England) are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Landlords with a home close to Cheddington station may find that a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Puttenham is about 4 miles east of Aylesbury, in Hertfordshire. We visit Puttenham as part of our work across Hertfordshire, for homes and businesses alike. Puttenham is one of the places in Hertfordshire we cover. Our Milton Keynes page covers surveys nearby.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in HP23 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Local streets include Church Road, Astrope Lane and Draytonmead Farm Road. We also cover Astrope (1 mile east), Long Marston (1 mile north-east), Buckland (1 mile south), Aston Clinton (2 miles south) and Broughton (2 miles west). Within a short drive, we also cover Hemel Hempstead (12 miles south-east), Berkhamsted (7 miles south-east), Tring (3 miles south-east), Chorleywood (15 miles south-east), Grovehill (12 miles south-east) and Woodhall Farm (12 miles south-east).
What’s near Puttenham
Puttenham’s nearest station is Cheddington station, about 3.3 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Tindal Centre (3.8 miles west) and Pitstone Green Museum (3.2 miles east). For a walk, there is Haddington Hill and College Lake nature reserve.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Puttenham
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. A report with photographs gives you a clear record of the roof.
Towns and villages near Puttenham
What else we do in Puttenham
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
A leaning stack, cracked flaunching or crumbling pointing can all need work. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack.