Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Sawbridgeworth. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
Common roof problems in Sawbridgeworth
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can point to a problem that keeps coming back. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
If you let a flat or house near Sawbridgeworth station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
What to check before booking
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- What follow-up you get after the report
- What experience they bring
Pre-purchase roof survey in Sawbridgeworth: what you get
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we will say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. If you’ve noticed gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a smaller place like Sawbridgeworth, some houses face open ground, which can mean more wind and rain on the roof. Loose ridge tiles, lifted coverings and tired flashings are the kind of things that show it. For a purchase or a new roof, those exposed edges are looked at closely. On an exposed roof, a loose ridge or verge soon becomes a bigger job.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Location
- Sawbridgeworth (CM21, CM22)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Sawbridgeworth
Other services in Sawbridgeworth
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We say when the covering would need opening up to know more.
Gutters and parapets
Gutters, downpipes and outlets carry water away from walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. You’ll know the figure before booking.
What we need to know
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- The property’s address and postcode
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us a few details about the property and we will point you to the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
How it works
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can safely be seen is inspected, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. The survey normally takes between one and two hours for most houses, and longer for a large or complex roof. Homes around Sawbridgeworth frequently have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. The loft, where there’s safe access, completes the picture.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
How to prepare
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Getting a price
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
Checking the roof from ground level
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
FAQs for Sawbridgeworth
Is Sawbridgeworth in the area you cover?
Yes, Sawbridgeworth is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
Will you come out to Sawbridgeworth?
Yes. Sawbridgeworth is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
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 do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Sawbridgeworth?
Simply ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes, you can. The report sets out what we found, with photos, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. We can’t promise how the seller will respond.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It is your choice, but the two do different jobs. 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.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It does not cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Sawbridgeworth homes and their roofs
The wider area around Sawbridgeworth has a long history of building, with Much Hadham Palace about 4.4 miles north-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Sawbridgeworth Congregational Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Sawbridgeworth is about 3 miles north-east of Harlow, in Hertfordshire. Whether the building in Sawbridgeworth is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. Our Hertfordshire coverage includes Sawbridgeworth and the places around it. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
Every address in CM21 and CM22 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on London Road, Station Road and Maylins Drive or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Main roads around Sawbridgeworth include the A1184. Close by, we survey roofs in Lower Sheering (1 mile east), High Wych (1 mile west), Sheering (2 miles east), Spellbrook (2 miles north) and Gaston Green (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Bishop's Stortford (4 miles north), Welwyn Garden City (15 miles west), Hoddesdon (8 miles south-west), Cheshunt (11 miles south-west), Hertford (10 miles west) and Ware (8 miles west).
What’s near Sawbridgeworth
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Leventhorpe, Gibberd Garden and White Lion Hotel. Sawbridgeworth’s nearest station is Sawbridgeworth station, roughly 0.7 miles north-east. Well-known places in the area include Harlow Mill (1.6 miles south-west) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (3.7 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Sawbridgeworth Marsh and Portingbury Hills.
When you need someone else
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Whether timbers meet design loads
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will suggest the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
What we check
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space