Greater London · London and the South East
Tottenham Green Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Tottenham Green, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Tottenham Green
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that’s frequently not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. Where the building has a flat roof, it is checked as far as access allows. If you’ve noticed slipped or missing slates and tiles and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Many London homes have been converted into flats, extended at the back or given a loft conversion with a dormer. Each change adds roof details, like flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in Tottenham Green, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a close look. Dormer cheeks, lead work and new flat roofs are worth checking closely, as faults there are easy to miss.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- Tottenham Green (N15, N17, N16)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, often over an extension. Felt roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Natural slate
Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails that fix it frequently give out first. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’.
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Tottenham Green
Many roofs have had quick fixes over the years. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can be signs that something has leaked before. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
The streets around a church such as Church of Holy Trinity are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the roof’s history matters as much as its looks, and a survey brings the past repairs to light.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- When you’ll get the report
- Whether the price includes VAT
- What exactly goes into their report
FAQs for Tottenham Green
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Tottenham Green?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Let us know what parking is available nearby, and the visit is planned around it.
Is my home in Tottenham Green listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
What’s the best way to book?
To book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Where possible, yes. We look in the loft space where there’s safe access, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the survey around it.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it is applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
What this survey can’t tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Natural slate
Before and after the survey
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Let us know your timetable
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
Every so often, check the loft with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
What happens on the day
We will ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes between one and two hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In Tottenham Green, as in much of London, a good many properties are flats or terraces without side access, so rear slopes are viewed from windows, the loft or, where a flight is allowed, by drone. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, let us know when you book.
- 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 roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a written report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Before we arrive
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Leave side gates unlocked
How to book
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Tottenham Green
If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces frequently have Welsh slate roofs. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Whether you are buying or checking new roofing work, knowing the materials helps make sense of what the inspection finds.
Landlords with a home close to Seven Sisters station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. With Bruce Castle about 0.9 miles north, the area around Tottenham Green has a long history. If you are buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Tottenham Green is about 2 miles west of Walthamstow, in Greater London. If you’re in Tottenham Green, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Our Greater London coverage includes Tottenham Green and the places around it. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Surveys in N15, N17 and N16 are booked the same way as anywhere else. You will find streets like Ida Road, High Road and Hale Road, and we cover them all. We also cover the places around Tottenham Green: South Tottenham (1 mile south), Seven Sisters (1 mile south), Tottenham Hale (1 mile east), St Ann's (1 mile south-west) and Broadwater Farm (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover London (6 miles south), City of Westminster (6 miles south-west), Marylebone (6 miles south-west), Kensington (8 miles south-west), St Pancras (5 miles south-west) and Shoreditch (4 miles south).
Around Tottenham Green
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Church of St Andrew, Gladesmore Community School and Ada College and the streets around them. Nearby too are The Beehive Public House (0.5 miles north) and Chestnuts Park (0.8 miles west). Tottenham Green has its own railway station: Seven Sisters station. A little further out are Markfield Beam Engine and Museum (0.6 miles south-east) and The Mall Wood Green (1.6 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Woodberry Wetlands and Hollow Pond.
Towns and villages near Tottenham Green
What else we do in Tottenham Green
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out with the most urgent first where relevant.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the visit with that in mind.