Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Rush Green, Greater London
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Rush Green, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
Pre-purchase roof survey in Rush Green: what you get
Older homes often have roofs that have been patched over the years. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Little of that is easy to judge from the pavement on a viewing. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so you know what it means for the house you’re buying. We survey the roof space, clay and concrete tiles and chimney stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are worn or lifted lead flashings and gutters choked with leaves and moss.
In London, a good many houses have been split into flats, extended or fitted with a dormer loft conversion. Every alteration brings new junctions, flashings and flat-roof areas to look at. For a purchase in Rush Green, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a careful look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Rush Green (RM7, RM1, RM12)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Common questions in Rush Green
Is parking a problem for a survey in Rush Green?
It depends on the street. If Rush Green has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Rush Green?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus 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. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that is where a roof survey helps. It isn’t a replacement for a RICS survey.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from the ground, from windows and from the roof space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
How long will you be at the property?
It usually takes about 1–2 hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. What the seller agrees to is their decision.
How it works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. From the street, a London terrace typically shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Rush Green we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. If other people live in the building, tell us who can let us into the shared parts.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed beforehand.
- 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.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
Arrange a survey
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Related advice
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months.
After strong winds, look at the roof from the ground. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
What we’re asked to look at in Rush Green
Blocked or leaking gutters do damage that is not obvious at first. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Hidden gutters behind parapets or in roof valleys can send water indoors. We check them as part of the survey.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
For an older house near a landmark such as St Augustine of Canterbury Church, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
What to check before booking
- 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
- What insurance they carry
What we can’t see
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Chimney stacks
Local roofs and buyers in Rush Green
If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. About 2.1 miles north-east lies Hare Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Rush Green has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Rush Green is in London, so parking needs planning: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book, as a space near the door cannot be promised. If you let a flat or house near Romford station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Rush Green is about 1 mile south-west of Romford, in Greater London. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Rush Green for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the RM7, RM1 and RM12 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Streets in the area include Crow Lane, Union Road and Maldon Road. We also cover Romford (1 mile north-east), Becontree Heath (1 mile west), Chadwell Heath (1 mile north-west), Elm Park (2 miles south-east) and Becontree (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (12 miles west), City of Westminster (14 miles west), Marylebone (14 miles west), St Pancras (13 miles west), Shoreditch (11 miles west) and Walthamstow (9 miles west).
Landmarks near Rush Green
We work in homes and buildings around Harrow Lodge Park, The Moon & Stars pub and St Edward's Church of England Academy. The closest station to Rush Green is Romford station, about 0.7 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (3.6 miles east) and The Brewery (0.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Rush Green include The Chase Nature Reserve.
Also near Rush Green
Also in Rush Green
What we look for on each type of 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.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.