Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Upper Brailes Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
An experienced roof surveyor for pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Brailes. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Upper Brailes
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. 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 also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey natural slate, clay and concrete tiles and the roof space, and common reasons people get in touch are gaps where slates or tiles have come loose and a ridge or slope that dips.
Older buildings in small places like Upper Brailes 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. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it is worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Upper Brailes (OX15)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay and concrete tiles commonly last 50 years or more. Cracked, slipped or missing tiles are noted, along with odd replacement tiles that hint at earlier leaks.
Natural slate
Natural slate can last 100 years or more, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. Slipped or missing slates are a sign of ‘nail fatigue’.
Questions from Upper Brailes
How do I find out if my home in Upper Brailes is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. 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.
Is Upper Brailes in the area you cover?
Yes. We work right across London and the South East, and Upper Brailes is part of that. Just call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the property, and we will talk through which survey suits.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access when booking.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. The report is most useful before exchange, while you can still ask questions and negotiate.
Honest limits
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
Why it’s worth a survey now in Upper Brailes
A mortgage valuation isn’t a roof survey. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, and it won’t look closely at the roof. Our survey is done for you. For older village homes like those around Upper Brailes, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, from £400 including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why book with us
- Package prices that include VAT
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- A written report with photos
- PI and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Ask the agent to check the loft hatch can be opened
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. 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.
Every so frequently, 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.
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Brailes
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- House, block, shop or office
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- How big the roof is
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Booking your survey
There is no need for technical words. Just tell us:
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- When you need the report by
- What’s prompted the survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll explain the options and the price.
Buying a home or a new roof in Upper Brailes
If your home is older, it is worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area. 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 George are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming. Around Upper Brailes, as everywhere, small roof faults are simplest to sort before they let water in.
Upper Brailes is about 9 miles west of Banbury, in Oxfordshire. Upper Brailes is one of many places we visit across Oxfordshire, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Across Oxfordshire, we cover Upper Brailes. You can also see our page for Oxford.
Postcode districts we cover here for pre-purchase roof surveys: OX15. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Castle Hill, Fant Hill and Henbrook Lane. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Lower Brailes (1 mile south-east) and Sutton-under-Brailes (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Banbury (9 miles east), Chipping Norton (8 miles south), Neithrop (8 miles east), Grimsbury (10 miles east), Ruscote (8 miles east) and Bloxham (8 miles east).
What’s near Upper Brailes
Around Upper Brailes, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Gate Inn, among other places. Well-known places in the area include Ellen Badger Hospital (2.9 miles west). The countryside around Upper Brailes includes Castle Hill and Woodford Bottom and Lamb's Pool.
What happens on the day
We don’t take risks to get a closer look. We inspect what can be seen safely, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. Most visits take about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Rural addresses near Upper Brailes can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before the survey
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.