Surrey · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in The Sands, Surrey
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in The Sands.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
Why act early in The Sands
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like The Sands, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Visits on any day of the week
- Package prices that include VAT
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in The Sands
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. Our Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and, where applicable, a drone inspection, and the report arrives the same day. If airspace rules or the weather rule out a flight, we’ll say so and inspect from every other safe vantage point. If you’re worried about standing water on a flat extension roof and signs of past leaks inside the loft, we can find out what’s behind it.
Older buildings in small places like The Sands may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you are buying or signing off new roofing, it is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
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, like when you want to compare after future work.
- Where
- The Sands (GU10)
- Wider area
- Surrey
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs and buyers in The Sands
In Surrey, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, with tile-hanging on many upper walls. A few of Surrey’s oldest buildings have heavy Horsham stone slab roofs. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
Farnham Castle, about 2.8 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around The Sands. When you buy an older home, the roof’s age, past repairs and any listing all affect what you might spend later. Take an older house close to The Church of the Good Shepherd: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Landlords with a home close to Farnham 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.
The Sands is about 2 miles east of Farnham, in Surrey. If you are in The Sands, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. The Sands is one of the places in Surrey where we work. You can also see our page for Guildford.
All of GU10 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys. We cover properties on The Green, Binton Lane and Botany Hill and the roads around them. Close by, we survey roofs in Runfold (1 mile west), Sandy Cross (1 mile north), Compton (1 mile west), Seale (1 mile north-east) and Tongham (2 miles north). Further out, we also cover Guildford (8 miles east), Woking (10 miles north-east), Camberley (9 miles north), Frimley (7 miles north), Haslemere (9 miles south) and Cranleigh (12 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in The Sands
Typical jobs here are in homes near Crooksbury Hill, among other places. The closest station to The Sands is Farnham station, roughly 2.3 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Milford Hospital (5.7 miles south-east) and Farnham Castle (2.8 miles west). Not far away are Culverswell Hill and Runfold Wood.
Useful tips for The Sands property owners
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Check we will be able to get into the loft space
- Tell us your exchange date when you book
The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, while Premium includes a consultation in person. Whichever package you choose, you can ask us what a finding means.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. Binoculars from ground level are enough for a first look.
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. All told, expect roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. For a village or hamlet like The Sands, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- 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.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations before you exchange.
Before the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
Getting a price
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, let us know about the property and we will suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Places near The Sands
What else we do in The Sands
The Sands: your questions answered
Will you come out to The Sands?
Yes, The Sands is covered. Our area covers London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in The Sands?
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, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access as you book.
At what stage of buying should I get the roof surveyed?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That way you can still act on what we find, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
How long does the survey visit take?
Allow an hour or two at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, and 98% of customers are satisfied.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that’s where a roof survey helps. It does not stand in for a RICS survey.
How we price pre-purchase roof surveys
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- How big the roof is
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, which starts from £400, including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What to let us know when you get in touch
These details help when you get in touch:
- The property’s address and postcode
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from the ground or a window
- What’s prompted the survey
To get a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in The Sands, phone 07833 053749 or email us. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.
Landlords, agents and block managers in The Sands
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.