Essex · London and the South East
Puttock's End Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Puttock's End, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
Common roof problems in Puttock's End
Gutter problems often look minor from the street. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Hidden gutters behind parapets or in roof valleys can send water indoors. They’re part of what we check.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- A ridge or slope that dips
For landlords with property near Stansted Airport station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Before you book anyone
- What the survey will not cover
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
Pre-purchase roof survey in Puttock's End: what you get
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. 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 loose pots and cracked flaunching and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, across the roof space, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys.
In a village or hamlet like Puttock's End, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Location
- Puttock's End (CM22)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Puttock's End
Is my home in Puttock's End listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Puttock's End?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. The flight restriction zone around Stansted Airport covers Puttock's End, or comes right up to its edge. We ask the airport for permission before flying there, and only fly if it’s given. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Is Puttock's End in your area?
Yes. Our area covers London and South East England, and that includes Puttock's End.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
Allow an hour or two 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.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Book as soon as your offer is agreed. You need the report before you exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It does not cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Ours sits alongside a RICS survey rather than replacing it.
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit usually takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In a hamlet or village like Puttock's End, a postcode does not always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it’s safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations to read before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
How to book
If you’re buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.
Related advice
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
With Standard, you get a follow-up consultation, while Premium includes a consultation in person. Whichever package you choose, you can ask us what a finding means.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
Also near Puttock's End
What else we do in Puttock's End
What this survey cannot tell you
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- A structural engineer’s report
- Asbestos testing of any kind
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Puttock's End
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Puttock's End
Barrington Hall, about 1.9 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Puttock's End. 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 the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Older buildings in Essex often have clay tiles and weatherboarding, alongside a good many post-war and newer estates. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
Puttock's End is about 5 miles east of Bishop's Stortford, in Essex. Surveys in Puttock's End work the same way as everywhere we cover: a proper look at whatever is safely visible, photos and a clear written report. Our area takes in places right across Essex, large and small. Chelmsford is in our area too.
We work across CM22 for pre-purchase roof surveys. Close by, we survey roofs in Hope End Green (1 mile north), Hellman's Cross (1 mile south-east), Smith's Green (1 mile north), Little Canfield (1 mile north) and Takeley (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Chelmsford (12 miles south-east), Braintree (12 miles east), Harlow (9 miles south-west), Saffron Walden (12 miles north), Great Dunmow (4 miles east) and Epping (13 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Puttock's End
The nearest railway station is Stansted Airport station, about 2.4 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Little Easton Moat (3.1 miles north-east) and Herts and Essex Hospital (4.5 miles west). For a walk, there is Rushy Mead and Portingbury Hills.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. The pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are all checked.
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack, and low-pitched roofs need their laps to be right.
Checking the roof from the ground
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry.
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.