Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in St Johns
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in St Johns, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
Pre-purchase roof survey in St Johns: what you get
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. At that point you can still ask questions, while you are not yet committed. Visits run on weekdays and at weekends, 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. If you’re worried about signs of past leaks inside the loft and a ridge or slope that dips, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In London, lots of 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 St Johns, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a close look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
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.
- Where
- St Johns (SE13, SE10, SE8)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey works
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in St Johns runs like any other.
- 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.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Before the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Read more
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
We survey roofs for landlords and letting agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs.
Why it is worth a survey now in St Johns
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Finding the cause at the survey stage means you know about it from day one. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A blocked outlet ignored for a winter or two can mean damp walls inside.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why us?
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Common questions in St Johns
How do I find out if my home in St Johns is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in St Johns?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. St Johns is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus 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. High wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
How long will you be at the property?
The visit typically takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. We’ll give you an idea of timing when you book.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
How do I book a survey in St Johns?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or email us. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we will point you to the right survey. We survey seven days a week.
How quickly will I get the report?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed, with photos.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
Tips that help
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Watch for stains or fresh paint on ceilings below the roof
- Share the report with your solicitor
- For a flat, check who is responsible for the roof
- Ask the agent to check the loft hatch can be opened
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, ideally once the leaves have dropped. Blocked gutters cause much of the damp we see. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney stacks
A leaning stack, cracked flaunching or crumbling pointing can all need work. We note them with photos so you can ask about them.
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.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in St Johns: local notes
The flight restriction zone around London City Airport comes within about 2 miles of St Johns. Where the drone is part of the survey, the exact boundary is checked for the address first. Many homes in inner London are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often with Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Whether you’re buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Queen's House lies about 1.1 miles north-east, so building around St Johns goes back a long way. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing. Landlords with a home close to St Johns station may find that a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. For a London address like St Johns, it is useful to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space.
St Johns is about 4 miles south-east of London, in Greater London. We survey roofs in St Johns across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Greater London.
Every address in SE13, SE10 and SE8 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You’ll find streets such as Avon Road, Mill Lane and Clare Road, and we cover them all. Being close to the A2210 and A2211, St Johns is easy for us to reach. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in New Cross (1 mile west), Deptford (1 mile north), Lewisham (1 mile south-east), Telegraph Hill (1 mile west) and Ladywell (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include London (4 miles north-west), City of Westminster (6 miles north-west), Marylebone (6 miles north-west), Kensington (8 miles west), St Pancras (6 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (5 miles north-west).
What’s near St Johns
Around St Johns, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Wickham Arms, Brookmill Park and Addey and Stanhope School and the streets around them. Nearby too are St. Paul's (0.7 miles north) and Laban Centre (0.8 miles north). There’s a railway station in St Johns itself: St Johns station. Other landmarks nearby include Fan Museum (0.9 miles north-east) and Lewisham Shopping Centre (0.7 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Brookmill Road Local Nature Reserve and Tower Hill.
What a survey costs
All our prices include VAT. The things that change the price are:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- House, block, shop or office
- The roof’s overall size
- Height and safe access
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
These details help when you get in touch:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- What kind of property and roof it is
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or email us whenever suits you.