Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in South Hampstead, Greater London
Pre-purchase roof surveys in South Hampstead, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. The pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings are all checked.
Gutters and parapets
Gutters, downpipes and outlets carry water away from walls. Leaking joints, sagging lengths and blockages are all noted.
Pre-purchase roof survey in South Hampstead: what you get
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. At that point you can still ask questions, because nothing is binding yet. We survey on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when the chain is moving fast. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. If you’ve noticed quick fixes on flashings and valleys and damp timbers or stains in the loft, we can find out what’s behind it, on lead flashings and valleys, the roof space and flat-roofed extensions and dormers alike.
Many London homes have been converted into flats, extended at the back or given a loft conversion with a dormer. Each change adds roof details, such as flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in South Hampstead, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a close look. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
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.
- Place
- South Hampstead (NW3, NW8, NW6)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near South Hampstead
Other services in South Hampstead
What you can safely check yourself
A lot can be seen from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in South Hampstead
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It’s often found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
For landlords with property near South Hampstead station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Will the report include photos?
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Landlords, agents and block managers in South Hampstead
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
South Hampstead: your questions answered
Can you fly a drone over a roof in South Hampstead?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. 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. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first, including zones around airports and prisons. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Is parking a problem for a survey in South Hampstead?
London parking needs a little planning, so let us know about permits, bays or a driveway when you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That gives you time to use the findings.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in South Hampstead?
Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not sample or test for asbestos. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
South Hampstead homes and their roofs
With Winfield House about 0.9 miles south-east, South Hampstead sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of All Souls, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges. Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for South Hampstead, along with any off-street space.
South Hampstead is about 1 mile south of Hampstead, in Greater London. Whether the building in South Hampstead is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Our Greater London coverage includes South Hampstead and the places around it.
We survey roofs across NW3, NW8 and NW6 for pre-purchase roof surveys. Streets in the area include Avenue Road, Acacia Road and Harben Road, all of which we cover. Other places close to South Hampstead include Swiss Cottage (1 mile north), St John's Wood (1 mile south), Haverstock (1 mile east), Belsize Park (1 mile east) and Primrose Hill (1 mile east). We also work in nearby towns like London (4 miles south-east), Kensington (3 miles south-west), St Pancras (3 miles south-east), Shoreditch (4 miles east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east) and Hoxton (4 miles east).
Near you in South Hampstead
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Cafe Med pub, St. Mary's Town and Country School and Holy Trinity CofE Primary School. You’ll also find Cecil Sharp House (1.1 miles east) and Primrose Hill (0.6 miles east). There is a railway station in South Hampstead itself: South Hampstead station. Well-known places in the area include Isokon Gallery (0.8 miles north-east) and O2 Centre (0.5 miles north-west). Not far away are Adelaide Nature Reserve and The Long Water.
What affects the price in South Hampstead
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
What we need to know
When you call or email, these details help:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
What we do, step by step
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs. As for time on site, most surveys take about one to two hours at a typical home, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Many London properties are flats or terraces with no side access, so rear slopes are viewed from windows, the loft or, where a flight is allowed, by drone. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents when booking.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know 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 the ground and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
How to prepare
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Book a survey
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.