Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Styants Bottom, Kent
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Styants Bottom, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
Pre-purchase roof survey in Styants Bottom: what you get
If you are buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that is often not the individual flat owner. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. Where the building has a flat roof, it is checked as far as access allows. Common reasons to book are slipped or missing slates and tiles and a ridge or slope that dips, across the roof space, natural slate and gutters and downpipes.
Older buildings in small places like Styants Bottom may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Where
- Styants Bottom (TN15)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your 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
Why it’s worth a survey now in Styants Bottom
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That rarely shows the back slope, the valleys or the top of the chimney. We fill that gap before you are tied in, with photos of anything that needs attention. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 inc. VAT. We will tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why us?
- PI and public liability insurance
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
What affects the price in Styants Bottom
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The size of the roof
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- When you need the report by
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- What made you get in touch
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before booking.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Styants Bottom: local notes
Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. You’ll also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. Ightham Mote, about 1.9 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Styants Bottom. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
For landlords with property near Kemsing station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Styants Bottom is about 3 miles east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. We survey roofs in Styants Bottom across London and South East England. Styants Bottom is one of the places in Kent where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. Our Maidstone page covers surveys nearby.
All of TN15 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you are just outside Styants Bottom, we cover Oldbury (1 mile east), Ightham (1 mile south-east), Stone Street (1 mile south), Ivy Hatch (1 mile south-east) and Bitchet Green (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (12 miles east), Dartford (11 miles north), Sevenoaks (3 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 miles south), Gravesend (11 miles north-east) and Tonbridge (6 miles south).
Around Styants Bottom
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Wrotham School, The Harrow Inn and Ivy Hatch Nature Reserve and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Kemsing station, about 1 mile north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Ightham Court (1.3 miles north-east) and Sevenoaks Hospital (2.8 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Dryhill Nature Reserve.
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
How the survey works
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two 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’re there. Cottages and farmhouses around Styants Bottom often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are 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.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
How to book
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Questions from Styants Bottom
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Styants Bottom?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Is Styants Bottom within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it’s safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from ground level, from windows and from the loft space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you when booking.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run on any day of the week. To arrange a date, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It can, depending on the survey. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. If the conditions aren’t right, we’ll talk to you about another date.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Honest limits
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Keep these in mind:
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
Nearby places to Styants Bottom
Also in Styants Bottom
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Styants Bottom
Flat roofs turn up on extensions, dormers, porches and garages. A felt roof often lasts around 15 to 20 years, and ponding, blisters and splits are common signs of age. A buyer can easily miss them, especially when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
Things that often lead to a survey include:
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
If you live in an older home near St Lawrence, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs frequently have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Questions to ask before booking
- How soon the report will arrive
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What the survey will not cover
- Their drone registration, if they fly one