Kent · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Sholden Meadows
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Sholden Meadows. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
What a survey costs
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Which survey package you book
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Building height and the viewpoints available
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Helping us price your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- The kind of building and roof involved
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to phone 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will explain the options and the price.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Sholden Meadows
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. If you’re worried about a ridge or slope that dips and chimney mortar that has eroded, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on the roof space, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and natural slate alike.
Older buildings in small places like Sholden Meadows may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it is worth knowing which applies. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Where
- Sholden Meadows (CT14)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Gutters and parapets
Some older terraces have a butterfly roof with a central valley gutter. If yours does, we check that gutter and where it drains.
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.
Sholden Meadows questions
Will you come out to Sholden Meadows?
Yes, Sholden Meadows is covered. We survey roofs across London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Sholden Meadows, take more of a battering?
Yes, coastal weather is harder on roofs: there’s more wind, and more salt in the air. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it typically shows.
How long does the survey visit take?
Allow an hour or two for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. We’ll confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where possible, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To find a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Do you use drones?
Where it is applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
What we’re asked to look at in Sholden Meadows
Slates and tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay that hold them. Good slate can last well over a century, but corroded nails let slates slip. That kind of wear is common on older roofs and easy to miss from ground level.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
If you own a rental within reach of Deal station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their insurance cover
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Sholden Meadows
Sholden Meadows lies within about 2 miles of the sea, where wind off the sea can be strong. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, so the weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead. With Walmer Castle about 2.1 miles south-east, Sholden Meadows sits in an area with a long building history. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Nicholas, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Sholden Meadows is about 1 mile north-west of Deal, in Kent. In Sholden Meadows, as across Kent, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our Kent coverage includes Sholden Meadows and the places around it. We also survey roofs in Canterbury.
Here we cover the CT14 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Bargrave Lane, Wyborn Drive and Banks Way or a nearby road, we can survey it. If you are just outside Sholden Meadows, we cover Sholden (1 mile east), Great Mongeham (1 mile south-west), Mill Hill (1 mile south), Deal (1 mile south-east) and Finglesham (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles west), Margate (11 miles north), Dover (7 miles south-west), Folkestone (13 miles south-west), Ramsgate (8 miles north) and Broadstairs (10 miles north).
What’s near Sholden Meadows
Typical jobs here are in homes near Castle Community College, The Magnet pub and Betteshanger Park. For rail, the closest station is Deal station, roughly 1.3 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Deal Castle (1.5 miles east) and Kent Museum of the Moving Image (1.3 miles east). Open spaces near Sholden Meadows include Monk's Wall nature reserve.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Sholden Meadows
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
Places near Sholden Meadows
What else we do in Sholden Meadows
Tips that help
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
Your report arrives by email, with photos of what we found. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Findings are set out in plain English, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
How the survey works
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Cottages and farmhouses around Sholden Meadows often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Let us know about parking before the day
Booking a survey
We confirm the price for the job before you book, so you know the cost up front. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.