Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Swanton, Kent
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Swanton, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Swanton
A Basic Survey starts 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 goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where applicable and a same-day report. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a report with photos and recommendations. If you’ve noticed gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and signs of past leaks inside the loft, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on gutters and downpipes, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys alike.
Somewhere as small as Swanton, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
- Where
- Swanton (ME18)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
Your report arrives by email, with photographs of what we found. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Honest limits
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Natural slate
What we look for on each type of roof
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. Where we can see it from the loft, we say what condition it’s in.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many leaks start at a flashing, so they get close attention in a pre-purchase survey. Any that need attention are photographed and explained.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Swanton
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the building owner or managing agent. Let us know about it when booking and we will plan the survey around it.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.
Swanton: your questions answered
Is Swanton in the area you cover?
Yes, Swanton is within the area we cover. Our area covers London and the South East. You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Will you come out to Swanton?
Yes, we do. Our area covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS home survey. It works alongside a home survey.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Swanton?
Simply call 07833 053749 or email us with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from the ground, from windows and from the roof space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
How long does the survey visit take?
Allow between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. We will give you an idea of timing when booking.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Nearby places to Swanton
Also in Swanton
Why act early in Swanton
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Spotting it before you buy means you know about it from day one. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Swanton, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT, and we’ll tell you which fits.
Why book us in Swanton
- 20+ years’ experience
- PI and public liability insurance
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Visits on any day of the week
Take a look at our cost guide and our case studies.
Buying a home or a new roof in Swanton
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. 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.
Old Soar Manor lies about 1.5 miles west, so building around Swanton 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. If you own a rental within reach of Wateringbury station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of St Dunstan, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Swanton is about 5 miles north-east of Tonbridge, in Kent. If you’re in Swanton, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Swanton is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Surveys in ME18 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in West Peckham (1 mile south), New Pound (1 mile north-east), Mereworth (1 mile east), Herne Pound (1 mile north-east) and Roughway (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (8 miles east), Dartford (14 miles north-west), Sevenoaks (7 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (9 miles south-west), Gravesend (12 miles north) and Tonbridge (5 miles south-west).
Near you in Swanton
Around Swanton, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Swan on the Green pub. For rail, the closest station is Wateringbury station, about 3 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Beechin Wood Archery Museum (2 miles north-west) and Ightham Court (3.8 miles north-west).
The survey, step by step
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes between one and two hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. Somewhere as small as Swanton, access is frequently the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
Getting a price
A quick phone call is typically the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.