Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Sanderstead
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Sanderstead, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, frequently over an extension. Felt frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many older houses have lead in their valleys and hidden gutters. Worn or cracked lead lets water straight into the roof, and missing lead is not unknown, as it’s a target for thieves.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Sanderstead
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. 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. We look closely and record what we see, with photographs that show you exactly where. Each finding is explained in plain words, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. Typical surveys look at slipped or missing slates and tiles and loose pots and cracked flaunching, on lead flashings and valleys, natural slate and gutters and downpipes.
In a London terrace or conversion, the roof often joins the neighbours’ roofs and shares their stacks and gutters, with parapet walls and party-wall upstands marking where one roof ends and the next begins. For a purchase or a new roof in Sanderstead, that shapes what can be checked: only the parts we are given access to and can see safely are inspected. If it is a flat, the lease usually sets out who is responsible for the roof.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Where
- Sanderstead (CR2, CR8)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
It is worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions, especially where we have found patch repairs.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Sanderstead
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out with the most urgent first where relevant, which helps when budgeting.
Why get it checked now?
Sellers aren’t always aware of roof problems. The forms they complete only show what they’re aware of. An independent look tells you how the roof is now, whatever anyone remembers. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. When the stain finally shows, the damage underneath is often older than it looks.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Sanderstead
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Surveys seven days a week
- Prices that include VAT
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Take a look at our cost guide or what we found on two real jobs.
Buying a home or a new roof in Sanderstead
Historic houses such as Addington Palace, about 2.3 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around Sanderstead goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
For landlords with property near Riddlesdown station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for Sanderstead, along with any off-street space. If you live in an older home near Church of All Saints, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Sanderstead is about 2 miles east of Purley, in Greater London. Anywhere in Sanderstead, we can come and survey your property. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Here we cover the CR2 and CR8 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Local streets include Hyde Road, Brian Avenue and Sundown Avenue. Sanderstead sits on or near the A2022, so getting to you is simple. We also cover Riddlesdown (1 mile south-west), Kenley (1 mile south-west), South Croydon (1 mile north-west), Selsdon (1 mile north-east) and Hamsey Green (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns like London (11 miles north), City of Westminster (13 miles north), Marylebone (13 miles north), Kensington (12 miles north-west), St Pancras (13 miles north) and Shoreditch (13 miles north).
What’s near Sanderstead
Typical jobs here are in homes near Selsdon Park Hotel, Littleheath Woods and Riddlesdown Collegiate, among other places. Sanderstead’s nearest station is Riddlesdown station, about 0.8 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Purley War Memorial Hospital (1.4 miles west) and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (2.1 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Duppas Hill and Foxley Wood.
Towns and villages near Sanderstead
Also in Sanderstead
Checking the roof from the ground
It’s useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Share it with us as you book.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
FAQs for Sanderstead
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Sanderstead?
It can be, so it helps to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Are there drone restrictions around Sanderstead?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
What insurance do you have?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
How quickly will I get the report?
That depends on which survey you choose: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Tell us your exchange date and we’ll help you choose.
How it works
We do not take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. The survey usually takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is frequently on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it’s useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Sanderstead runs like any other.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations before you exchange.
How to prepare
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Let us know about parking before the day
How to book
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.