Surrey · London and the South East
Warlingham Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Pre-purchase roof surveys across Warlingham, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Warlingham
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, 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. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, clay and concrete tiles and the roof space, and people most often book us about gutters that overflow or drip at the joints and old water stains in the roof space.
Around Warlingham, you will mostly find houses and bungalows of different ages. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. For a purchase or a newly replaced roof, what’s under the coverings matters as much as what’s on top. Breathable membranes only appeared in the late 1990s, so older roofs frequently have bitumen felt or nothing at all.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can plan your next steps.
- Location
- Warlingham (CR6, CR3)
- Wider area
- Surrey
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Flat roofs
Many homes have a flat roof somewhere, frequently over an extension. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings close the gaps at chimneys, walls and abutments. We check whether they’ve lifted, split or been replaced with mortar or bitumen.
What we do, step by step
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It typically takes an hour or two for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Warlingham, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. The loft, where there is safe access, completes the picture.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- 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.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
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Also near Warlingham
More services for Warlingham
Common roof problems in Warlingham
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We don’t test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but we flag materials that might so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before anything is disturbed.
We’re often asked to look at:
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
The streets around a church like Church of All Saints 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.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How soon the report will arrive
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Their insurance cover
- Will the report include photos?
Checking the roof from ground level
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
FAQs for Warlingham
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Warlingham?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is Warlingham in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Will you need to get into the loft?
Ideally, yes. We look in the roof space where there is safe access, and views from upper windows help too. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
Do you go up on the roof?
When conditions and the roof make it safe, yes. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the loft space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is usually fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In high wind or heavy rain, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
On site, it normally takes about 1–2 hours 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.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Small roof defects let water in slowly. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Spotting it before you buy lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. In an older home around Warlingham, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, and that’s a much bigger job than the original defect.
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why us?
- Over 20 years’ experience
- An independent look at the roof
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
Take a look at our cost guide and two real surveys.
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Warlingham
Older houses across Surrey often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging. Some old buildings in Surrey and Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. 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 Warlingham has a long history of building, with Addington Palace about 3.5 miles north. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For landlords with property near Upper Warlingham station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Warlingham is about 3 miles east of Coulsdon, in Surrey. We survey roofs in Warlingham and the rest of Surrey. Warlingham is one of the places in Surrey we cover. London is in our area too.
We work across CR6 and CR3 for pre-purchase roof surveys. Whether your property is on Church Road, Redvers Road and The Green or a nearby road, we can survey it. You’ll find Warlingham on the B269 and B270, which makes it simple to reach. If you’re just outside Warlingham, we cover Hamsey Green (1 mile north), Whyteleafe (1 mile west), Chelsham (1 mile east), Farleigh (2 miles north-east) and Kenley (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Epsom (9 miles west), Horley (10 miles south-west), Redhill (7 miles south-west), Ewell (9 miles west), Reigate (8 miles south-west) and Dorking (13 miles south-west).
Near you in Warlingham
Typical jobs here are in homes near Warlingham School, Blanchman's Farm and The White Lion Public House and the streets around them. The closest station to Warlingham is Upper Warlingham station, about 0.9 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Warlingham Park Hospital (1.3 miles north-east) and East Surrey Museum (2 miles south-west). Open spaces near Warlingham include Nore Hill and South London Downs National Nature Reserve.
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- A structural engineer’s report
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks