Surrey · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Shortheath, Surrey
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Shortheath. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
Landlord and commercial surveys in Shortheath
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Shortheath
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We check as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it is checked as far as access allows. Common reasons to book are a ridge or slope that dips and flashings that have lifted or split, on clay and concrete tiles, gutters and downpipes and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
Older buildings in small places like Shortheath may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. 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.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Shortheath (GU9, GU10)
- Region
- Surrey
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay and concrete tiles commonly last 50 years or more. We check for slipped, cracked and missing tiles, and for mismatched replacements that point to past repairs.
Gutters and parapets
Some older terraces have a butterfly roof with a central valley gutter. If the home you are buying has one, that gutter and its outlet get a careful look.
Questions from Shortheath
Do you carry out roof surveys in Shortheath?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Shortheath as anywhere else.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shortheath?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, with a written report and photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it is applicable and safe, yes. We are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where applicable, the Premium Survey.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where possible, yes. We look in the roof space where there’s safe access, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That gives you time to use the findings, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Shortheath
Older houses across Surrey frequently have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old buildings in Surrey. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. Farnham Castle, about 1.6 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Shortheath. If your house is among the older ones, 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.
Take an older house close to St Peter's Church: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Shortheath is about 1 mile south-west of Farnham, in Surrey. We visit Shortheath as part of our work across Surrey. Our Surrey coverage includes Shortheath and the places around it. Guildford is in our area too.
Here we cover the GU9 and GU10 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Shortheath Road, Little Thurbans Close and Sunnydell Lane and the roads around them. Being close to the B3384, Shortheath is easy for us to reach for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you’re just outside Shortheath, we cover Wrecclesham (1 mile west), Boundstone (1 mile south), Rowledge (1 mile south-west), Holt Pound (1 mile south-west) and Bucks Horn Oak (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Guildford (11 miles east), Woking (13 miles north-east), Camberley (10 miles north), Frimley (9 miles north-east), Haslemere (8 miles south-east) and Cranleigh (15 miles east).
Around Shortheath
In Shortheath, that means homes and buildings near The Royal Oak Public House, Weydon School and Weydon School. The nearest railway station is Farnham station, roughly 1.3 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Farnham Castle (1.6 miles north) and Museum of Farnham (1.2 miles north). The countryside around Shortheath includes Aunt's Pool and Farnham Heath.
Towns and villages near Shortheath
More services for Shortheath
Common roof problems in Shortheath
Viewings rarely include a proper look at the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight, and a quick glance from the street misses a lot. Fresh decoration can also cover the marks an old leak left behind, so a closer look is worth having before you commit.
People typically book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
For landlords with property near Farnham station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Are they insured for the work?
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
What this survey cannot tell you
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
The survey, step by step
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there’s safe access. All told, expect between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Older rural homes like those around Shortheath can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Getting a price
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
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Why it is worth a survey now in Shortheath
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Spotting it before you buy means you know about it from day one. Older and listed buildings around Shortheath may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book us in Shortheath
- Prices that include VAT
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Every finding written up with photos
- Surveys on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays