Surrey · London and the South East
Upper Hale Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Upper Hale, with photographs and a written report.
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
Tips that help
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Ask the agent to make sure the loft hatch can be opened
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
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 surveys for homes and businesses in Upper Hale
A roof report gives you something solid to take back to the seller or the agent. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. We cannot say how a seller will respond, but you’ll be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It also helps you decide whether to go ahead at all. We survey chimney stacks, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and lead flashings and valleys, and the problems we are asked to look at most are roof slopes that look uneven or sagging and old water stains in the roof space.
Around Upper Hale, you will mostly find houses and bungalows of different ages. Older roofs may still have their original slates or clay tiles, with fixings and underlay that have done a long stint. For a purchase or a newly replaced roof, what’s under the coverings matters as much as what’s on top. Older roofs often have bitumen felt under the coverings, as breathable membranes only arrived in the late 1990s.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent, whichever applies.
- Where
- Upper Hale (GU9)
- Wider area
- Surrey
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Hale
Is drone flying allowed in Upper Hale?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Farnborough Airport is about 3 miles away, so we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before any flight. 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 Upper Hale?
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.
When will the report arrive?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard reports within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. We send it by email, with photos.
How experienced are you?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Honest limits
Every survey has limits, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Hale
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and the package you choose.
Helping us price your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
Not sure which survey you need? It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
What we do, step by step
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey normally takes an hour or two for a house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Upper Hale is booked with the forecast in mind: the parts that need calm, dry weather are planned around it.
- You book once your offer is accepted and let us know the address and your timetable.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it’s safe.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations to read before exchange.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
Booking a survey
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
Leave it or get it looked at?
A mortgage valuation isn’t a roof survey. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, and it won’t look closely at the roof. A roof survey is carried out for the buyer, and the report is written for you to use. Around Upper Hale, a leak in an older house can soak into timbers and plaster, and that’s a much bigger job than the original defect.
All our prices include VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for your roof before booking.
Why book with us
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Package prices that include VAT
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
Other services in Upper Hale
What we look for on each type of roof
Gutters and parapets
The rainwater system keeps water off the walls. Leaking joints, sagging lengths and blockages are all noted.
Chimney stacks
Leaning stacks, loose pots and eroded mortar are common findings. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Upper Hale
Many older homes in Surrey have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old buildings in Surrey. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. The wider area around Upper Hale has a long history of building, with Farnham Castle about 1.1 miles south. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
For landlords with property near Farnham station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Mark the Evangelist Church, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs frequently have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Upper Hale is about 2 miles north of Farnham, in Surrey. We visit Upper Hale as part of our work across Surrey, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Upper Hale is one of the towns and villages in Surrey we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. You can also see our page for Guildford.
Surveys in GU9 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Queens Lane, Ball and Wicket Lane and Upper Hale Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Main roads around Upper Hale include the A3016 and B3005, so getting to you is simple. If you’re just outside Upper Hale, we cover Heath End (1 mile east), Hale (1 mile south-east), Weybourne (1 mile east), Badshot Lea (1 mile east) and Farnham (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Guildford (10 miles east), Woking (11 miles north-east), Camberley (7 miles north-east), Frimley (6 miles north-east), Haslemere (11 miles south) and Cranleigh (15 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Upper Hale
Around Upper Hale, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Farnham Heath End School, Weybourne LNR and The Six Bells pub and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Farnham station, roughly 1.6 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Fleet Community Hospital (4.3 miles north-west) and Hart Shopping Centre (3.7 miles north-west). Not far away are Aunt's Pool and Beacon Hill.