Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Sarsden
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Sarsden. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Sarsden
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We look at as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. Where the building has a flat roof, it’s checked as far as access allows. Common reasons to book are gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and slipped or missing slates and tiles, on natural slate, lead flashings and valleys and gutters and downpipes.
Somewhere as small as Sarsden, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Whether you’re 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. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Sarsden (OX7)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, with the report sent to whoever needs it. Access is agreed with the tenant ahead of time.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as householders. A report with photographs gives you a clear record of the roof, useful for planning maintenance.
What this survey can’t tell you
Every survey has limits, and it is better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will point you to the right survey before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
Nearby places to Sarsden
What else we do in Sarsden
Common questions in Sarsden
Is Sarsden in the area you cover?
Yes, Sarsden is within the area we cover. We work right across London and South East England. Just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the property.
How do I find out if my home in Sarsden is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you go up on the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when you book.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
How experienced are you?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
Buying a home or a new roof in Sarsden
Historic houses such as Chastleton House, about 4.3 miles north-west, show how far back building in the area around Sarsden goes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Cotswold stone slates are found on older buildings in west Oxfordshire, and thatch survives in some of the county’s villages. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
If you live in an older home near Church of St James, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Sarsden is about 9 miles north-west of Witney, in Oxfordshire. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Sarsden for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. Sarsden is one of the places in Oxfordshire where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
All of OX7 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Churchill (1 mile north-west), Chipping Norton (3 miles north-east), Salford (3 miles north), Over Norton (3 miles north-east) and Great Rollright (5 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Banbury (15 miles north-east), Witney (9 miles south-east), Carterton (10 miles south), Kidlington (14 miles south-east), Neithrop (14 miles north-east) and Grimsbury (15 miles north-east).
Around Sarsden
Around Sarsden, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Chequers pub, among other places. The closest station to Sarsden is Kingham station, roughly 2.2 miles west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Chipping Norton Museum (2.6 miles north-east) and Wheelbarrow Castle (4.9 miles north).
The survey, step by step
We check the roof from outside and, where it is relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit normally takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Rural addresses near Sarsden can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from ground level, 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.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Find any records of previous roof work
Booking a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead flashings seal the joints where a roof meets a wall or chimney. We look for lead that has lifted, split or been patched over.
Flat roofs
Standing water, blisters, splits and tired upstands all point to wear. Blocked outlets are checked as well, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Sarsden
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- How big the roof is
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before booking.
What to tell us when you get in touch
What helps most when you contact us:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Anything about access we should know
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll point you to the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Common roof problems in Sarsden
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Good slate can last well over a century, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. It’s a frequent finding on older houses and easy to miss from ground level.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
For landlords with property near Kingham station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Questions to ask before you book
- What they will not be able to tell you
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Is VAT included in the price?