Surrey · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Ranmore Common
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Ranmore Common, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
Leave it or get it looked at?
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Finding the cause at the survey stage lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. For an older or listed building in a place like Ranmore Common, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book us in Ranmore Common
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Over 20 years’ experience
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Ranmore Common: what you get
Older homes frequently have roofs that have been patched over the years. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. We look closely and record what we see, with photographs that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so you know what it means for the house you are buying. We survey the roof space, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and people most often book us about patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof.
Older buildings in small places like Ranmore Common may be listed or 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, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
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.
- Where
- Ranmore Common (RH5)
- Region
- Surrey
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Tiled roofs frequently last half a century or longer. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, and for mismatched replacements that point to past repairs.
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings are a common source of leaks, so we check each one closely. We photograph any that need work.
Towns and villages near Ranmore Common
More services for Ranmore Common
The survey, step by step
You don’t need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes about one to two hours at a typical home, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Older rural homes like those around Ranmore Common can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- 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 the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it’s safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
How to book
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Advice
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
DIY checks: what’s safe
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
A lot can be seen from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Ranmore Common
Historic houses such as Polesden Lacey, about 1.2 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Ranmore Common goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls are typical of Surrey’s older houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old buildings in Surrey. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
If you let a flat or house near Dorking West station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. If you live in an older home near Church of St Barnabas, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Ranmore Common is about 2 miles north-west of Dorking, in Surrey. We visit Ranmore Common as part of our work across Surrey. We cover towns and villages across Surrey, large and small. Guildford is in our area too.
We survey roofs across the RH5 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. We also cover the places around Ranmore Common: Westcott (1 mile south), Westhumble (2 miles north-east), Dorking (2 miles south-east), Pixham (2 miles east) and Wotton (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns like Guildford (9 miles west), Woking (10 miles north-west), Epsom (8 miles north-east), Horley (10 miles south-east), Redhill (8 miles east) and Ewell (9 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Ranmore Common
Around Ranmore Common, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Pippbrook House, The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School and Milton Heath and The Nower. For rail, the closest station is Dorking West station, about 1.1 miles east. A little further out are Betchworth Castle (3 miles east) and Mesolithic Museum (3.3 miles south-west). Open spaces near Ranmore Common include Box Hill and Combe Bottom.
Questions from Ranmore Common
Is my home in Ranmore Common listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Ranmore Common?
Yes. Our area covers London and the South East, and Ranmore Common is part of that. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the property.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can typically go ahead in light rain, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Strong wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so we will agree a new date if the weather is not suitable.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where we can, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
Book as soon as your offer is agreed. You need the report before you exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Tips from our surveys
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Each defect is explained in plain words, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, ideally once the leaves have dropped. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Get a professional in rather than climbing up yourself.