Kent · London and the South East
St Nicholas at Wade Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Not sure what state the roof is in? We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in St Nicholas at Wade and across Kent.
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
What happens on the day
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. For a village or hamlet like St Nicholas at Wade, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Booking a survey
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Related advice
Pre-purchase roof survey in St Nicholas at Wade
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that’s frequently not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We check as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. If the building has a flat roof, we check that too where access allows. We survey natural slate, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and chimney stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing and signs of past leaks inside the loft.
In a village or hamlet like St Nicholas at Wade, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Older roofs there may have clay tiles, slate, stone or, in some places, thatch. Each covering has its own weak points, whether the roof is old or newly laid, 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: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- St Nicholas at Wade (CT7)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs and buyers in St Nicholas at Wade
St Nicholas at Wade is within about 3 miles of the coast, and wind near the sea can be strong. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, so the weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead. Older houses across Kent frequently have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most.
Landlords with a home close to Birchington-On-Sea station may find that a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of Saint Nicholas, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Quex Park lies about 3 miles east, so building around St Nicholas at Wade goes back a long way. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
St Nicholas at Wade is about 5 miles east of Herne Bay, in Kent. Roofs in St Nicholas at Wade get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Kent. Across Kent, we cover St Nicholas at Wade and the places around it. Canterbury is in our area too.
We cover every part of CT7 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on The Street, Orchard Close and Wotton Court. We also cover the places around St Nicholas at Wade: Sarre (1 mile south-west), Monkton (1 mile south-east), Hoo (2 miles south-east), East Stourmouth (2 miles south) and West Stourmouth (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Canterbury (9 miles south-west), Margate (6 miles east), Dover (15 miles south), Ramsgate (7 miles east), Broadstairs (8 miles east) and Whitstable (10 miles west).
Near you in St Nicholas at Wade
In St Nicholas at Wade, that means homes and buildings near The Bell Inn. St Nicholas at Wade’s nearest station is Birchington-On-Sea station, roughly 2.7 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Powell-Cotton Museum (2.8 miles east).
Questions from St Nicholas at Wade
Does being near the coast affect roofs in St Nicholas at Wade?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
Will you come out to St Nicholas at Wade?
Yes. St Nicholas at Wade is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s 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.
Will you climb onto the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. Many roofs can be seen well from windows, vantage points and the loft, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Are you insured?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and details are available on request.
Do you need access inside the house?
Where we can, yes. From the loft space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If access is not possible, we note it in the report.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
For landlords and managing agents
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
Places near St Nicholas at Wade
Other services in St Nicholas at Wade
Tips from our surveys
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Mention any deadline when you get in touch
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.
Different roofs, different checks
Natural slate
Many older homes in London and the South East have slate roofs. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
Gutters and parapets
The rainwater system keeps water off the walls. We check for blockages, leaking joints and sagging runs.
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
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.
What we need to know
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
What this survey cannot tell you
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will suggest the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes