West Berkshire · London and the South East
Thatcham Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Thatcham, with photos and a written report.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
Useful tips for Thatcham property owners
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Let us know your timetable
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Book once your offer is accepted
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
If you want quotes for the work, roofers can work from the report. The photos show the defects and where they are, so each quote covers the same ground.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Thatcham
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. You can ask about the roof’s history, ask for repairs before completion or rethink the price. What the seller agrees to is up to them, but you’ll be asking from facts rather than guesses. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. We’re frequently asked to look into roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and gutters choked with leaves and moss, across natural slate, chimney stacks and lead flashings and valleys.
In a town the size of Thatcham, most homes are houses rather than flats, so the roof is normally the owner’s alone to look after, apart from details shared with the house next door on semis and terraces. That makes the roof’s condition a simple money question: it’s better to know about it before exchange or before the final payment than afterwards. With photos and written recommendations, you have clear points to take back to the seller or the roofer.
What you get is a clear record of the roof on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Where
- Thatcham (RG19, RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Natural slate
Slate is common on Victorian and Edwardian houses. We look for slates that have slid, cracked or gone, and for clips or tingles that show past repairs.
Flat roofs
Ponding, blistering, splits and worn upstands are the usual warning signs. Blocked outlets are checked as well.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Thatcham
Blocked or leaking gutters do damage that isn’t obvious at first. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Hidden gutters behind parapets or in roof valleys can send water indoors. They’re part of what we check.
Look out for signs like these:
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
If you let a flat or house near Thatcham station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
What to check before booking
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Their report turnaround times
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Thatcham
Is Thatcham in the area you cover?
Yes. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and Thatcham is part of that. Just call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the property.
How do I find out if my home in Thatcham is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
How experienced are you?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, over more than 20 years, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey 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 confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
How do I book a survey in Thatcham?
Simply phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that is where a roof survey helps. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
How it works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a report with photos, emailed to you. As for time on site, most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. A typical visit in Thatcham begins with the street side of the roof and then moves round the building. The back garden is often where extensions, dormers and rear slopes are best seen. Then, if it can be reached safely, we look in the loft.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- The roof is inspected from every safe viewpoint, inside and out.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations to read before exchange.
How to prepare
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Arrange a survey
For a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Thatcham, phone 07833 053749 or email us. A few details about the property and the roof help us give you an accurate price.
Advice
Local roofs and buyers in Thatcham
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. About 2.7 miles west lies Shaw House, a reminder of how long the area around Thatcham has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
For an older house near a landmark such as United Reformed Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Thatcham is about 12 miles north-west of Basingstoke, in West Berkshire. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Thatcham and nearby. Thatcham is one of the towns and villages in West Berkshire we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. You can also see our page for Reading.
Surveys in RG19 and RG18 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on High Street, Station Road and Flagstaff Square and the roads around them. With the A4 close by, Thatcham is simple for us to get to. If you’re just outside Thatcham, we cover Benham Hill (1 mile west), Ashmore Green (2 miles north-west), Cold Ash (2 miles north), Upper Bucklebury (2 miles north-east) and Stone Copse (2 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Newbury (3 miles west), Burghfield Common (8 miles east), Speenhamland (3 miles west), Hungerford (11 miles west), Spencers Wood (12 miles east) and Calcot (9 miles east). As one of the bigger places in West Berkshire, Thatcham has every kind of building, from houses and flats to offices.
Landmarks near Thatcham
In Thatcham, that means homes and buildings near Kennet School and The Old Chequers Public House, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Thatcham station, roughly 0.9 miles south-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Old Chapel Textile Centre (2.2 miles south-west) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (1.5 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Nature Discovery Centre.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Thatcham
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Which survey package you book
- Building height and the viewpoints available
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- The property’s address and postcode
- When you need the report by
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- What made you get in touch
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Thatcham
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 around your tenants.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant ahead of time.