Hampshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in South Town
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across South Town, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
About our pre-purchase roof survey in South Town
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where applicable, along with a same-day report. Where a flight is not possible, because of airspace rules or the weather, we tell you and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We are often asked to look into ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints, across gutters and downpipes, lead flashings and valleys and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
Somewhere as small as South Town, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings frequently sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent.
- Place
- South Town (GU34)
- Wider area
- Hampshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack.
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings are a common source of leaks, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
The survey, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. Most visits take between one and two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Rural addresses near South Town can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Preparing for the visit
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Getting a price
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
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Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in South Town?
Viewings rarely include a proper look at the roof. You walk round the rooms, but the roof stays out of sight. New paint on a ceiling can hide old water stains, which is why buyers book a closer look before committing.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed something like this:
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Andrew, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What follow-up you get after the report
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Don’t leave it until just before exchange
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so questions can go to the seller’s solicitor. Past repairs, re-roofing and any records of that work are all fair questions, especially where we’ve found patch repairs.
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.
Local roofs and buyers in South Town
Historic houses such as Bentworth Hall, about 1.4 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around South Town goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters. Some Hampshire villages still have thatched roofs. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
If you let a flat or house near Alton station, it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
South Town is about 4 miles west of Alton, in Hampshire. South Town is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. South Town is one of the towns and villages in Hampshire where we work. Southampton is in our area too.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in GU34 are booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on High Street, Church Lane and Green Stile or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover New Copse (1 mile north), Hattingley (1 mile west), Medstead (1 mile south-east), Soldridge (1 mile south) and Holt End (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Basingstoke (10 miles north), Winchester (12 miles south-west), Fleet (14 miles north-east), Horndean (15 miles south), Alton (4 miles east) and Petersfield (10 miles south-east).
Landmarks near South Town
For rail, the closest station is Alton station, about 4.5 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Barton Castle (2.2 miles west) and Alton Community Hospital (3.4 miles east). The countryside around South Town includes King's Hill.
Other services in South Town
Checking the roof from ground level
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
Questions from South Town
Do you cover South Town?
Yes, South Town is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
How do I find out if my home in South Town is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It is a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photographs. 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 do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
Do you go up on the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
Book as soon as your offer is agreed. The report is most useful before exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
Surveys for landlords and agents in South Town
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.