Greater London · London and the South East
West Barnes Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Need a pre-purchase roof survey in West Barnes? We can help, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
About our pre-purchase roof survey in West Barnes
Some roofs cannot be seen well from ground level or from windows. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where applicable, along with a same-day report. Where a flight isn’t possible, because of airspace rules or the weather, we tell you and inspect from every other safe vantage point. If you are worried about blocked or leaking gutters and standing water on a flat extension roof, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
In London, plenty of houses have been split into flats, extended or fitted with a dormer loft conversion. Each change adds roof details, like flat roofs, new flashings and junctions with the original slopes. If you are buying a flat or house in West Barnes, or have just had new roofing work done, those junctions are often where problems start. Lead work around dormers and new flat roofs is easy to get wrong and easy to miss.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- West Barnes (KT3, SW20)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
It is useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry.
Practical tips
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Do not leave it until just before exchange
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it, particularly where we have found patch repairs.
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. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Lots of buyers go ahead anyway, but with their eyes open. You’ll know which jobs are urgent and which can wait, so you can plan work before small faults get bigger. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A blocked outlet ignored for a winter or two can mean damp walls inside.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in West Barnes
- An independent look at the roof
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
- A written report with photos
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.
Buying a home or a new roof in West Barnes
Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. Southside House, about 1.1 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around West Barnes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Holy Cross, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. If you own a rental within reach of Motspur Park station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for West Barnes.
West Barnes is about 2 miles south-west of Wimbledon, in Greater London. We survey roofs in West Barnes and the rest of Greater London. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, large and small. There’s also a page for London.
We cover every part of KT3 and SW20 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Queens Road, Blakes Lane and Egmont Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Raynes Park (1 mile north-east), Motspur Park (1 mile north-west), Bushey Mead (1 mile north-east), Cannon Hill (1 mile east) and New Malden (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include London (9 miles north-east), City of Westminster (9 miles north-east), Marylebone (9 miles north-east), Kensington (7 miles north), St Pancras (10 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (11 miles north-east).
Around West Barnes
In West Barnes, that means homes and buildings near Beverley Park, The Fountain pub and Ursuline Preparatory School and the streets around them. West Barnes has its own railway station: Motspur Park station. Other landmarks nearby include Bentall Centre (2.9 miles west) and Chessington Castle Hill (3.7 miles south-west). Open spaces near West Barnes include Kingston Hill Road area and Derwent Floodwash.
What we cannot see
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before you book. Keep these in mind:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps when budgeting.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in West Barnes. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
FAQs for West Barnes
Can you fly a drone over a roof in West Barnes?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and 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, including zones around airports and prisons. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in West Barnes?
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.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, with a written report and photos. It is not a RICS survey and does not cover the rest of the house.
Do you work in West Barnes?
Yes. We survey roofs in West Barnes and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and South East England. For a price, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Do you inspect the roof from on top?
Only where it’s safe to do so. Much of the inspection is done from ground level, from windows and from the roof space. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
The survey, step by step
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. In total, it takes about one to two hours for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it’s useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in West Barnes runs like any other.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Book a survey
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.