Greater London · London and the South East
Surrey Canal Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Surrey Canal, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
For landlords and managing agents
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client, photographs included.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Surrey Canal
We survey roofs for buyers in Surrey Canal and across London and South East England. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, the roof gets the same careful look. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We’re insured for professional indemnity and public liability, with more than 20 years’ experience behind us. To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We survey chimney stacks, the roof space and gutters and downpipes, and people most often book us about ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing.
In London, a good many 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 Surrey Canal, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a proper look. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Surrey Canal (SE16, SE15, SE14)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Surrey Canal questions
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Surrey Canal?
It depends on the street. If Surrey Canal has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer.
Are there drone restrictions around Surrey Canal?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around London City Airport comes within about 2 miles of Surrey Canal. We check the exact boundary for the address before flying, and if the roof falls inside it, we ask for permission first. 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 doesn’t depend on the drone.
How quickly will I get the report?
That depends on which survey you choose: within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Let us know your timetable when booking.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at a typical home; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Is your roof survey a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it is not a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Surrey Canal?
Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Surrey Canal: local notes
Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. The flight restriction zone around London City Airport comes within about 2 miles of Surrey Canal. If your survey includes the drone, the exact boundary is checked for the address first.
For an older house near a landmark like St Katharine with St Bartholomew, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. For landlords with property near South Bermondsey station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. Surrey Canal is in London, so parking needs planning: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book, as a space near the door cannot be promised.
Surrey Canal is about 1 mile north-west of New Cross, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Surrey Canal can all book pre-purchase roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Our Greater London coverage includes Surrey Canal and the places around it.
Every address in SE16, SE15 and SE14 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Pump Lane, Bush Road and Water Lane, and we cover them all. Surrey Canal sits on or near the A200 and A2208. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include South Bermondsey (1 mile west), Surrey Quays (1 mile north-east), Rotherhithe (1 mile north), Peckham (1 mile south-west) and Deptford (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover City of Westminster (5 miles north-west), Marylebone (5 miles north-west), Kensington (7 miles west), St Pancras (4 miles north-west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-west) and Walthamstow (7 miles north).
Around Surrey Canal
In Surrey Canal, that means homes and buildings near City of London Academy, Deptford Park and The Surrey Docks pub, among other places. There’s a railway station in Surrey Canal itself: South Bermondsey station. A little further out are New Cross Hospital (0.5 miles south) and Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (0.7 miles north). Open spaces near Surrey Canal include New Cross Gate Cutting and Tower Hill.
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
What we do, step by step
You do not need to do much on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we will get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes about one to two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it is useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Surrey Canal runs like any other.
- You get in touch after your offer is agreed, with the address and your target exchange date.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- The roof is inspected from every safe vantage point, inside and out.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- We email a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Book a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
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Tips from our surveys
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Share the report with your solicitor
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller.
After you move in, have leaves and moss cleared from gutters and valleys, 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.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Sellers aren’t always aware of roof problems. Their answers on the property forms only cover what they know about. An independent look tells you how the roof is now. Any roof job in Surrey Canal means planning around parking, neighbours and access. That is a good reason to find problems early, while there is time to plan.
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
Some older terraces have a butterfly roof with a central valley gutter. If yours does, we check that gutter and where it drains.
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack, and low-pitched roofs need their laps to be right.