Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in St Luke's, Greater London
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in St Luke's from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
When to book a survey in St Luke's
The fixings and underlay often fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but corroded nails let slates slip. That kind of wear is common on older roofs and easy to miss from ground level.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Blocked or leaking gutters
For an older house near a landmark like Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Chapel, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What insurance they carry
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
Pre-purchase roof survey in St Luke's: what you get
Our packages start with the Basic Survey from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, including VAT. Standard adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. Premium adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where applicable and an in-person consultation. Choose the level that suits the home you’re buying. All three include a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations. If you’ve noticed quick fixes on flashings and valleys and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Homes across London range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces to interwar semis, post-war blocks and new developments, and a home in St Luke's could be any of them. Whether the roof is old or newly laid, the problem areas depend on how and when the building went up. Slates, hidden valley gutters, parapets and flat roofs over back additions all need checking in their own way.
Where we cannot see part of the roof, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Where
- St Luke's (N1, EC1V, EC2A)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near St Luke's
Other services in St Luke's
Practical tips
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Let us know your timetable
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and keep the photos to compare against later. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.
Roof by roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Many older houses have lead in their valleys and hidden gutters. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and lead is also a target for theft.
Gutters and parapets
Gutters, downpipes and outlets carry water away from walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs, along with fascias and soffits.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in St Luke's
St Luke's is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. If the drone is used for your survey, the address is checked against it before any flight. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that cannot be seen from the pavement. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
Mansion House lies about 0.8 miles south, so building around St Luke's goes back a long way. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy. Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for St Luke's.
St Luke's is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. Anywhere in St Luke's, we can come and survey your property. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small.
Here we cover the N1, EC1V and EC2A postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. We cover properties on Long Lane, City Road and Moor Lane and the roads around them. St Luke's is on the A1 and A501, so it is easy for us to get to. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Finsbury (1 mile south), Barbican Estate (1 mile south), Shoreditch (1 mile east), Hoxton (1 mile north-east) and City of London (1 mile south). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west) and Brompton (4 miles south-west).
Near you in St Luke's
Typical jobs here are in homes near Barts Health Archives, Charterhouse Square School and The Masque Haunt pub, among other places. You will also find St Mary-at-Hill (1.1 miles south), Central Foundation Boys' School (less than half a mile east) and Artillery Ground (under half a mile south-east). There’s a railway station in St Luke's itself: Old Street station. Nearby you will also find Gabriel's Wharf (1.3 miles south-west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.9 miles south-west). For a walk, there is St. James's Park Lake and Barnsbury Wood.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in St Luke's. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Larger roofs take longer.
St Luke's questions
Can parking be tricky for a visit in St Luke's?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot, so mention what’s available when you book.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in St Luke's?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 1 mile from St Luke's. We check whether the address falls inside it, and if it does we apply for permission, which is not always given. 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. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
How experienced are you?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Is St Luke's in your area?
Yes. Our area covers London and South East England, and that includes St Luke's.
When will the report arrive?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed with photos included.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and details are available on request.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
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.
The survey, step by step
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit normally takes about 1–2 hours at a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In St Luke's, as in much of London, lots of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so the back of the roof is frequently seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents as you book.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the roof space is agreed in advance.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.