Wokingham · London and the South East
Ruscombe Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Ruscombe, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Ruscombe
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Most of it can’t be seen from the street. We look closely and record what we see, with photos so you can see it for yourself. We explain each finding in plain English, so it is clear what it means for your purchase. Common reasons to book are slipped or missing slates and tiles and bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs, across natural slate, gutters and downpipes and lead flashings and valleys.
Being in a small place like Ruscombe makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed ahead of time. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly.
- Where
- Ruscombe (RG10)
- Wider area
- Wokingham
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Ruscombe
Is my home in Ruscombe listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Ruscombe within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Are you insured?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It is a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it’s safe. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the roof space.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS 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.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Ruscombe
A mortgage valuation isn’t a roof survey. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, not at the condition of each slate and flashing. Our survey is done for you, and the report is written for you to use. In a small place like Ruscombe, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on the size and height of the roof, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
Why book us in Ruscombe
- PI and public liability insurance
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
Read how roof surveys are priced and two real surveys.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Ruscombe
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It is a frequent finding on older houses.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
If you own a rental within reach of Twyford station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What follow-up you get after the report
What happens on the day
You do not need to do much on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, like stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. For a village or hamlet like Ruscombe, the journey is planned ahead of time: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Getting ready for the survey
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
How to book
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Read more
What this survey cannot tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before you book. Keep these in mind:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Whether timbers meet design loads
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Ruscombe
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
Places near Ruscombe
Also in Ruscombe
Tips that help
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Ask the agent to make sure the loft hatch can be opened
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions, particularly where we have found patch repairs.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Watch for stains, damp timbers and chinks of daylight. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Ruscombe homes and their roofs
Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. The covering on a house you are buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Take an older house close to Church of St James: ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Ruscombe is about 3 miles north-east of Woodley, in Wokingham. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Ruscombe can all book pre-purchase roof surveys. Ruscombe is one of the towns and villages in Wokingham where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Reading page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in RG10 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on London Road, Milton Way and Highgrove Place or anywhere close by, we can help. Ruscombe is on the A3032, which makes it simple to reach. If you’re just outside Ruscombe, we cover Twyford (1 mile south-west), Hare Hatch (1 mile north-east), Charvil (1 mile west), Whistley Green (1 mile south) and The Holt (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Reading (6 miles south-west), Wokingham (5 miles south), Woodley (3 miles south-west), Earley (5 miles south-west), Crowthorne (8 miles south) and Lower Earley (5 miles south-west).
What’s near Ruscombe
In Ruscombe, that means homes and buildings near The Golden Cross pub, Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School and The Piggott School. For rail, the closest station is Twyford station, roughly 0.5 miles south-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Royal Berkshire Hospital (4.9 miles south-west) and Frazer Nash Archives (3.7 miles north-west). Not far away are Alder Moors and Weycock Hill.