Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Somers Town
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Somers Town from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Somers Town
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. We can’t say how a seller will respond, but you’ll be asking from facts rather than guesses. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. Common reasons to book are ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof and a ridge or slope that dips, across lead flashings and valleys, natural slate and chimney stacks.
In London, a good many houses have been split into flats, extended or fitted with a dormer loft conversion. Every alteration brings new junctions, flashings and flat-roof areas to look at. For a purchase in Somers Town, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a careful look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, each with a short note and a photograph. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Location
- Somers Town (NW1W, NW1, W1T)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens if roof problems are left?
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 lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. In Somers Town, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: a blocked parapet gutter or slipped slate can let water into the flat below or the house next door. Finding it early keeps the work smaller.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.
Why book us in Somers Town
- Packages from £150, with VAT included
- An independent look at the roof
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Can I check my roof myself?
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
Useful tips for Somers Town property owners
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Mention any deadline when you get in touch
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Each defect is explained in plain words, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Do not block the vents at the eaves. Condensation in a roof space can look like a leak and can damage timbers over time. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air cannot flow.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Somers Town
Is parking a problem for a survey in Somers Town?
It depends on the street. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well, and a driveway is even better.
Is drone flying allowed in Somers Town?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. 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. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
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 is not a RICS survey and doesn’t cover the rest of the house.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Light rain does not usually stop a survey. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so we will agree a new date if the weather is not suitable.
Do you work in Somers Town?
Yes, we do. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Somers Town, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and details are available on request.
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and it is better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- Confirmation of asbestos in cement sheets or soffits
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
Buying a home or a new roof in Somers Town
About 1.4 miles south-west lies Handel Hendrix House, a reminder of how long the area around Somers Town has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that can’t be seen from the pavement. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
For landlords with property near London Euston station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. As a London address, Somers Town can be tricky for parking: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier, as a space near the door cannot be promised. If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near St Mary's Church, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Somers Town is about 1 mile north-west of St Pancras, in Greater London. Wherever you are in Somers Town, we can carry out pre-purchase roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Somers Town is one of the places in Greater London where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys.
Surveys in NW1W, NW1 and W1T are booked the same way as anywhere else. Local streets include Euston Road, Duke's Road and Phoenix Road, and we cover them all. Being close to the A400 and A501, Somers Town is easy for us to reach. Close by, we survey roofs in Euston (1 mile south), Kings Cross (1 mile east), Agar Town (1 mile north), Bloomsbury (1 mile south-east) and Fitzrovia (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include London (3 miles south-east), Kensington (4 miles south-west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east), Hampstead (3 miles north-west) and Ruislip (12 miles west).
Landmarks near Somers Town
We work in homes and buildings around Regent High School, Wellcome Collection and Lewis Cubitt Park, among other places. You will also find UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (within half a mile south) and Prince Arthur pub (less than half a mile south-west). There’s a railway station in Somers Town itself: London Euston station. Nearby you will also find Brunswick Centre (0.6 miles south-east) and Montfichet's Tower (1.8 miles south-east). Not far away are Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.
Roof by roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and South East England. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and missing lead is not unknown, as it is a target for thieves.
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. We look at their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
What we do, step by step
You do not need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In Somers Town, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it is useful to know what’s near you, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Preparing for the visit
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Keep pets in another room
How to book
To book a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before booking.