Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Whempstead
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Whempstead, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Call or email for a price.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
How it works
There is not much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Cottages and farmhouses around Whempstead often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- You book once your offer is accepted and tell us the address and your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations to read before exchange.
Before the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Booking a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or send us an email whenever suits you.
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How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Whempstead
We survey roofs for buyers in Whempstead and across London and South East England. From terraced and semi-detached homes to detached houses and flats, the roof gets the same careful look. We tell you what’s sound, what needs attention and how urgent it is. We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and have 20+ years’ experience. To arrange a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We survey lead flashings and valleys, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and gutters and downpipes, and people most often book us about blocked or leaking gutters and old water stains in the roof space.
Older buildings in small places like Whempstead may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent.
- Place
- Whempstead (SG12)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the building owner or managing agent. Let us know about it when booking and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Leaving it means judging the roof from the street. That will not show slipped slates on the rear slope, a worn valley or cracked flaunching. We fill that gap before you are tied in. Older and listed buildings around Whempstead may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it’s urgent leaves less time to plan.
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why book with us
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Plain-English reports with photos
Read what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
Whempstead: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Whempstead?
Yes, Whempstead is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Is Whempstead in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Whempstead as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if the freeholder or managing agent agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach.
Is this an asbestos survey?
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.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
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 roof space, and a drone is part of the Premium Survey where applicable.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Whempstead?
The fixings and underlay often fail before good slates or tiles do. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails holding it rust and let slates slide. That kind of wear is common on older roofs.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
The streets around a church like Parish Church of All Saints are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
What to check before booking
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How soon the report will arrive
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Whempstead
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- House, block, shop or office
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Helping us price your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Dates you are working to, like exchange
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- The property’s address and postcode
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
Local roofs and buyers in Whempstead
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about. If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
If you let a flat or house near Watton-At-Stone station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one. Historic houses such as Aston Bury, about 2.6 miles west, show how far back building around Whempstead goes. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy.
Whempstead is about 5 miles south-east of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. We cover Whempstead and the rest of Hertfordshire. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Every address in SG12 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets like Whempstead Road and Mill Lane, and we cover them all. If you’re just outside Whempstead, we cover Dane End (1 mile east), Burn's Green (1 mile north-west), Sacombe (1 mile south-east), Haultwick (2 miles north-east) and Sacombe Green (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Stevenage (5 miles north-west), St Albans (13 miles south-west), Bishop's Stortford (10 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (7 miles south-west), Harpenden (12 miles west) and Hitchin (9 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Whempstead
The nearest railway station is Watton-At-Stone station, roughly 1.8 miles south-west. Nearby you’ll also find Hertford County Hospital (5.4 miles south) and Benington Castle (2 miles north-west). The countryside around Whempstead includes Astonbury Wood.
Towns and villages near Whempstead
More services for Whempstead
Roof by roof
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Chimney stacks
Our chimney check is a visual one, and it is not a flue or gas safety check. If a flue needs testing, we will suggest who to ask.