Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in St George's Fields
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in St George's Fields, with photographs and a written report.
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
What we do, step by step
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. You are welcome to ask questions while we’re there. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We check 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.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Booking a survey
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or email us. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in St George's Fields
The best time to book is once your offer has been accepted and before you exchange contracts. That is when the findings are most useful, while you’re not yet committed. We survey on any day of the week, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. We survey lead flashings and valleys, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and natural slate, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are loose pots and cracked flaunching and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints.
London’s housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war estates and new blocks of flats, so a property in St George's Fields might be any of these. Whether you’re buying or have just had a roof replaced, the details that cause trouble depend on the age of the building. Slates, hidden valley gutters, parapets and flat roofs over back additions all need checking in their own way.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- St George's Fields (SE1, SE11, SE17)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us as you book.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in St George's Fields
St George's Fields is about 2 miles from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check whether the address falls inside it before flying. The flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea comes within about 2 miles of St George's Fields. If your survey includes the drone, we check the exact boundary for the address before flying.
If you live in an older home near Former Church of St Jude, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light. St George's Fields is in London, so parking needs planning: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book, as a space near the door can’t be promised.
St George's Fields is about 1 mile west of London, in Greater London. We cover St George's Fields and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and South East England. Our Greater London coverage includes St George's Fields.
All of SE1, SE11 and SE17 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets such as York Road, Spur Road and Bear Lane. With the A300 and A302 close by, St George's Fields is simple for us to get to for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you’re just outside St George's Fields, we cover Elephant and Castle (1 mile south-east), Newington Butts (1 mile south-east), Vauxhall (1 mile south-west), Lambeth (1 mile south-west) and Westminster (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north), Hampstead (5 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west) and Brompton (3 miles west).
Near you in St George's Fields
We work in homes and buildings around The Duke Of Clarence Public House, London School of Musical Theatre and Lambeth Palace Library. You’ll also find Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School (less than half a mile south-west) and Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (less than half a mile south-west). There is a railway station in St George's Fields itself: Elephant & Castle station. Other landmarks nearby include Baynard's Castle (0.9 miles north) and General Lying-In Hospital (0.5 miles west). For a walk, there’s Bellenden Road Nature Garden and St. James's Park Lake.
How the survey changes by roof type
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, often over an extension. Felt frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in St George's Fields
Asbestos was banned in UK construction in 1999. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
Historic houses like Benjamin Franklin House, about 1.1 miles north-west, show how far back building around St George's Fields goes. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later.
Before booking anyone
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Will the report include photos?
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What experience they bring
Honest limits
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
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 before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
Questions from St George's Fields
Is drone flying allowed in St George's Fields?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea comes within about 2 miles of St George's Fields. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. St George's Fields is about 2 miles from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. If a roof falls inside it, we apply for permission before flying, and the flight only goes ahead if it is granted. 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. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in St George's Fields?
Sometimes, yes. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well, and a driveway is even better.
How do I book a survey in St George's Fields?
It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or email us. Give us the address and a few details about the roof, and we will take it from there. Surveys run seven days a week.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It works alongside a home survey.
How long will you be at the property?
The visit usually takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
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.
Do you need access inside the house?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If we can’t get in, the report says so.