Greater London · London and the South East
Upper Norwood Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Norwood from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Old water stains in the loft space
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Upper Norwood
Buying a home is a big commitment, and the roof is one of the costliest parts to put right. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you’re tied in. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the loft space where it’s safe to get in. You get a written report with photographs. If you’ve noticed gaps where slates or tiles have come loose and a ridge or slope that dips, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on lead flashings and valleys, natural slate and flat-roofed extensions and dormers alike.
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, such as flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. For a purchase in Upper Norwood, or for new roofing work there, those junctions deserve a proper look. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. It records what’s sound as well as what isn’t.
- Location
- Upper Norwood (SE19, SE27, SE21)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Our tips:
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up to see how things have changed.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, especially after autumn. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Use a gutter contractor rather than going up a ladder yourself.
Nearby places to Upper Norwood
Other services in Upper Norwood
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Where pegs have rotted, tiles can slip, so we look for gaps along the courses.
Gutters and parapets
Parapet and box gutters are hidden behind walls and can overflow inside. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.
Upper Norwood questions
Is drone flying allowed in Upper Norwood?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Every flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Upper Norwood?
It can be, so it helps to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
Is this the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof only, and it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. It works alongside a home survey.
Do you work in Upper Norwood?
Yes, we do. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Upper Norwood, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
How long does the survey visit take?
On site, it normally takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. The report follows within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- How big the roof is
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, from £400 inc. VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- The property’s address and postcode
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or email us, let us know about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Upper Norwood
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed in advance. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
What we cannot see
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll recommend the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
What we do, step by step
We will ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes about one to two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. In a London area like Upper Norwood, the main things to sort out are parking and access: tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space and from the roof where it is safe.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re 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.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Book a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Local roofs and buyers in Upper Norwood
Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. 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. About 0.8 miles north lies Kingswood House, a reminder of how long the area around Upper Norwood has been built on. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Christ Church, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. For a London address like Upper Norwood, it is useful to know about controlled parking before the day. If you let a flat or house near Gipsy Hill station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Upper Norwood is about 4 miles south-east of Stockwell, in Greater London. Bookings from Upper Norwood are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Our Greater London coverage includes Upper Norwood and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We survey roofs across SE19, SE27 and SE21 for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Dover Road, Hawke Road and Tudor Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. You will find Upper Norwood on the A214, so it is easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Norwood New Town (1 mile west), Gipsy Hill (1 mile north-east), West Norwood (1 mile north-west), Crystal Palace (1 mile east) and Anerley (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover London (6 miles north), City of Westminster (7 miles north-west), Marylebone (7 miles north), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (7 miles north) and Shoreditch (7 miles north).
What’s near Upper Norwood
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Sparrowhawk pub, Long Meadow and Rockmount Primary School, among other places. Upper Norwood has its own railway station: Gipsy Hill station. Nearby you’ll also find St Christopher's Hospice (1.3 miles east) and Crystal Palace Museum (0.5 miles east). The countryside around Upper Norwood includes Dulwich Upper Wood and Knight's Hill.