Oxfordshire · London and the South East
St. Ebbes Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Independent pre-purchase roof surveys in St. Ebbes. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
About our pre-purchase roof survey in St. Ebbes
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. That is when the findings are most useful, while you’re not yet committed. We survey seven days a week, 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. We survey gutters and downpipes, the roof space and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and the problems we are asked to look at most are quick fixes on flashings and valleys and slates or tiles that have slipped or gone.
Bungalows, chalet bungalows and older cottages are common in smaller places like St. Ebbes, many of them extended or given dormers over the years. Low roofs are easier to see from ground level, but dormer cheeks, valleys and flat-roofed additions still need close attention. That applies whether you’re buying in St. Ebbes or checking a new roof there. Lead around a dormer and the edges of a flat roof are common places for snags and wear alike.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- St. Ebbes (OX1, OX2)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we look at:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The roof’s overall size
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.
Booking your survey
A little information up front helps. It helps to include:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or email us. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Places near St. Ebbes
Also in St. Ebbes
Buying a home or a new roof in St. Ebbes
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. About 0.7 miles north-east lies Holywell Manor, a reminder of how long the area around St. Ebbes has been built on. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Landlords with a home close to Oxford station may find that it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
St. Ebbes is about 1 mile west of Oxford, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in St. Ebbes and the rest of Oxfordshire, as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across Oxfordshire.
All of OX1 and OX2 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include New Road, Shoe Lane and Osney Lane, and we cover them all. You will find St. Ebbes on the A420, which makes it straightforward to reach. If you’re just outside St. Ebbes, we cover St John Street area (1 mile north), Grandpont (1 mile south), Osney (1 mile west), Jericho (1 mile north-west) and St Clement's (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover Didcot (10 miles south), Bicester (11 miles north-east), Abingdon-on-Thames (5 miles south), Witney (10 miles west), Carterton (14 miles west) and Thame (12 miles east).
What’s near St. Ebbes
We work in homes and buildings around St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary School, Oxford University Parks and The Royal Blenheim pub, among other places. Nearby too are Cheney School (1.6 miles east) and Radcliffe Camera (less than half a mile north-east). St. Ebbes’s nearest station is Oxford station, roughly 0.5 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Radcliffe Infirmary (0.6 miles north) and Oxford Castle (within half a mile north-west). Not far away are Hook Meadow and The Trap Grounds and Headington Hill.
Why act early in St. Ebbes
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. Homes in smaller places like St. Ebbes can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Each storm lifts it a little further.
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why us?
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Surveys seven days a week
Tips that help
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Let us know your timetable
Your report arrives by email, with photos of what we found. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
What happens on the day
The visit has one job: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a smaller place like St. Ebbes, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. On bungalows and lower roofs, much can be seen from ground level, with the loft showing the underside.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- We look at the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or send us an email, let us know about the property and we will suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Advice
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in St. Ebbes
Will you come out to St. Ebbes?
Yes, St. Ebbes is covered. We survey roofs across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Is St. Ebbes in the area you cover?
Yes, St. Ebbes is within the area we cover. We work right across London and South East England. You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and some details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
Allow about 1–2 hours for a house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
How soon is the report ready?
It depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Let us know your exchange date and we’ll help you choose.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it is applicable. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
Common roof problems in St. Ebbes
Asbestos was banned in UK construction in 1999. It’s often found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We do not carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- A ridge or slope that dips
For an older house near a landmark like St Ebbe's Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Questions to ask before you book
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether the inside of the roof is included