Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Thame, Oxfordshire
We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Thame and the rest of Oxfordshire. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
Pre-purchase roof survey in Thame: what you get
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where it applies and a same-day report. Choose the level that suits the home you’re buying. All three include a written report with photographs and recommendations. Common reasons to book are slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and blocked or leaking gutters, across gutters and downpipes, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
In a town like Thame, older streets normally sit alongside post-war and newer estates. Older houses frequently have slate or clay tiles on timbers that have done decades of work, while many later ones have concrete interlocking tiles. For a purchase or a new roof in Thame, the type of roof decides where the checks focus, from fixings and underlay to ridges and valleys. What sits under the tiles, from old felt to modern membranes, matters as much as the tiles themselves.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Location
- Thame (OX9)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Thame
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Thame
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings often carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
The streets around a church like Church of St Mary are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Adwell House, about 3.9 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Thame. 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. Landlords with a home close to Haddenham & Thame Parkway station may find that it’s worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Thame is about 8 miles south-west of Aylesbury, in Oxfordshire. Wherever you are in Thame, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Thame is one of the towns and villages in Oxfordshire we cover. Our Oxford page covers surveys nearby.
All of OX9 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Upper High Street, Butter Market and High Street and the roads around them. You will find Thame on the A329 and A418, which makes it straightforward to reach. If you’re just outside Thame, we cover Moreton (1 mile south-west), Towersey (1 mile east), Kingsey (2 miles east), Long Crendon (2 miles north-west) and Haddenham (3 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Oxford (11 miles west), Didcot (15 miles south-west), Bicester (13 miles north-west), Abingdon-on-Thames (14 miles west), Henley-on-Thames (15 miles south) and Kidlington (14 miles west). Thame is one of the larger places we cover in Oxfordshire.
Around Thame
Around Thame, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Lord Williams's School and Cross Keys Public House. The nearest railway station is Haddenham & Thame Parkway station, about 2.1 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Thame Museum (0.5 miles north-west) and Thame Community Hospital (under half a mile south-east). Open spaces near Thame include Snakemoor.
Thame questions
Is Thame in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
Is my home in Thame listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime, which suits people who work during the week. Let us know your preferred days as you book.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from the ground, from windows and from the loft space. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A RICS home survey covers the whole building, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. You need the report before you exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
Also in Thame
What we do, step by step
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It normally takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. A visit in Thame runs most smoothly with the loft hatch clear, side gates open and a parking spot in mind. Someone needs to let us in, so let us know who that will be.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Keep pets in another room
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
Getting a price
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Read more
What affects the price in Thame
We confirm the price for your roof before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- How big the roof is
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. You will know the figure before booking.
What we need to know
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- The kind of building and roof involved
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or email us and give us a few details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Roof by roof
Natural slate
Good slate is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’, and we note how widespread it looks.
Clay and concrete tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They’re heavy and hard-wearing, but they weather and can crack.
Why get it checked now?
Sellers are not always aware of roof problems. Their answers on the property forms only cover what they know about. Our survey shows you the roof as it is today, whatever anyone remembers. Once water reaches the loft insulation in a home in Thame, it loses much of its value and is slow to dry. That’s an extra cost on top of the roof work itself.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why book with us
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Surveys seven days a week
Take a look at our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.