Greater London · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Widmore, Greater London
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Widmore, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Pre-purchase roof survey in Widmore
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Most of it cannot be seen from the street. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, natural slate and gutters and downpipes, and common reasons people get in touch are slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and worn or lifted lead flashings.
In a London terrace or conversion, the roof often joins the neighbours’ roofs and shares their stacks and gutters. For a purchase or a new roof in Widmore, that shapes what can be checked: we inspect what we are given access to and can see safely, which may not include a neighbour’s side. For a flat, the lease usually says who looks after the roof.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, each with a short note and a photograph. It records what’s sound as well as what isn’t.
- Location
- Widmore (BR1, BR2, BR7)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey cannot tell you
Before you book, it is worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- A structural engineer’s report
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Widmore
Bromley Palace, about 1.1 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Widmore. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most.
For a London address like Widmore, it helps to know about controlled parking before the day, along with any off-street space. Landlords with a home close to Bickley station may find that a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Widmore is about 1 mile east of Bromley, in Greater London. Anywhere in Widmore, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. London is in our area too.
We survey roofs across the BR1, BR2 and BR7 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. We cover properties on Golf Road, The Avenue and Canon Road and the roads around them. We also cover Bickley (1 mile north), Elmstead (1 mile north), Chislehurst (1 mile north-east), Bromley (1 mile west) and Sundridge (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (9 miles north-west), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles north-west), St Pancras (11 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north-west).
Around Widmore
In Widmore, that means homes and buildings near Bird In Hand Public House, St George's and Jubilee Country Park, among other places. There is a railway station in Widmore itself: Bickley station. A little further out are Bridgeways Day Hospital (1 mile south) and The Mall (1.3 miles west). Not far away are Summer Hill and The Tarn.
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and the South East. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and lead is also a target for theft.
Natural slate
On a slate roof, the underlay may be old bitumen felt, or there may be none at all on very old roofs. From inside the roof space, we report what we can see of it.
For landlords and managing agents
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on, photos included.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer.
Do you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Widmore?
A chimney stack stands out in the wind and rain and they’re often the least maintained part of a roof. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which can affect how any work is arranged.
Problems we come across often include:
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
The streets around a church like Church of St George are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Questions to ask before booking
- What happens after the report arrives
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether VAT is added on top
- When you’ll get the report
Common questions in Widmore
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Widmore?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Widmore?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you work in Widmore?
Yes, we do. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Widmore, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day, which suits people who work during the week. Just say which days work for you.
What’s the best way to book?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll suggest the right survey. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we’re given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. We inspect from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Why act early in Widmore
The lender’s valuation is done for the lender, not for you. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, not at the condition of each slate and flashing. A roof survey is carried out for the buyer, and the report is written for you to use. In Widmore, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, from £400 with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you need to know.
Why book us in Widmore
- PI and public liability insurance
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Prices that include VAT
- A report with photographs
How the survey works
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 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Surveys in Widmore can be booked for any day of the week. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it’s useful to know what’s near you. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they frequently give the best view of a rear addition.
- Once your offer is accepted, you tell us the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed ahead of time.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a written report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Check we can get to the back of the property
Arrange a survey
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.