Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in The Flints, Hertfordshire
Need a pre-purchase roof survey in The Flints? We can help, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
Pre-purchase roof survey in The Flints: what you get
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. That’s when the findings are most useful, while you’re not yet committed. Visits run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. The report comes within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. We survey gutters and downpipes, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and clay and concrete tiles, and people most frequently book us about slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and damp timbers or stains in the loft.
Somewhere as small as The Flints, 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. Each covering has its own weak points, whether the roof is old or newly laid, 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.
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.
- Place
- The Flints (SG5)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. Most surveys take about one to two hours for most houses, and longer for a large or complex roof. Cottages and farmhouses around The Flints often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed in advance.
- 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.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Book a survey
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
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What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in The Flints
- Natural slate
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in The Flints
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The roof’s overall size
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
What to tell us when you get in touch
A little information up front helps. It helps to include:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Questions from The Flints
Are there drone restrictions around The Flints?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The Flints is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Luton Airport. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in The Flints?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where possible, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and upstairs windows give useful views. Access is usually arranged through the agent or seller.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photos. It isn’t a RICS survey and doesn’t cover the rest of the house.
What insurance do you have?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years, across London and South East England.
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Don’t leave it until just before exchange
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and keep the photos to compare against later. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up.
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.
Nearby places to The Flints
Other services in The Flints
Pre-purchase roof surveys around The Flints
Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, ideally before any re-roofing is planned. The Flints is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Luton Airport. If your survey includes the drone, we check the exact boundary for the address before flying.
If you let a flat or house near Luton station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
The Flints is about 4 miles south-west of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. The Flints gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a proper look at whatever is safely visible, photos and a clear written report. Across Hertfordshire, we cover The Flints and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Milton Keynes page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in SG5 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Great Offley (1 mile east), Temple End (2 miles east) and Ley Green (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Hemel Hempstead (13 miles south), Stevenage (7 miles east), St Albans (12 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south-east), Harpenden (8 miles south) and Hitchin (4 miles north-east).
Landmarks near The Flints
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Bull Public House and the streets around them. The Flints’s nearest station is Luton station, about 4.1 miles south-west. A little further out are Ravensburgh Castle (2.7 miles north-west) and John Dony Field Centre (2.9 miles south-west). Not far away are Markham's Hill and Pegsdon Hills.
What you can safely check yourself
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in The Flints?
Blocked or leaking gutters do damage that isn’t obvious at first. Water spilling over a gutter soaks brickwork and can rot fascias and rafter ends. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the house. We check them as part of the survey.
We are often asked to look at:
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Mary Magdalene, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How soon the report will arrive
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA