Kent · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Willesborough, Kent
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Willesborough, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Old water stains in the loft space
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
Pre-purchase roof survey in Willesborough
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you’re tied in. We look at the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, plus the loft where there’s safe access. You get a photo-illustrated written report. We survey natural slate, clay and concrete tiles and gutters and downpipes, and the problems we are asked to look at most are slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and standing water on a flat extension roof.
In a smaller place like Willesborough, homes are mostly houses and bungalows, from older cottages to more recent builds. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. Whether you are buying or have just had the roof replaced, that hidden layer is worth knowing about. Breathable membranes only appeared in the late 1990s, so older roofs frequently have bitumen felt or nothing at all.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Willesborough (TN24)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What you can safely check yourself
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
What happens on the day
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a report with photos. As for time on site, most surveys take between one and two hours for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Willesborough is booked with the forecast in mind: drone flights and thermal imaging need the right conditions, while a look from ground level and the loft can go ahead in most weather.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- 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.
Before the survey
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Related advice
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Every price we give includes VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Booking your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- The property’s address and postcode
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Anything about access we should know
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Local roofs and buyers in Willesborough
If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. About 3.1 miles north-west lies Godinton House, a reminder of how long the area around Willesborough has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you own a rental within reach of Ashford International station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. For an older house near a landmark like Church of St Mary the Virgin, ask the seller about past roof repairs, because older roofs often have patched valleys, replaced slates and reset ridges.
Willesborough is about 1 mile east of Ashford, in Kent. If you are in Willesborough, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Canterbury page.
We survey roofs across the TN24 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Mead Road, Mill Lane and Milne Road or a nearby road, we can help. Being close to the A2070, Willesborough is simple for us to get to for pre-purchase roof surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include South Willesborough (1 mile south-west), Newtown (1 mile south-west), Ashford (1 mile west), Finberry (1 mile south) and Park Farm (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (13 miles north-east), Folkestone (12 miles east), Faversham (12 miles north), Hythe (9 miles south-east), Davington (12 miles north) and Preston (12 miles north).
What’s near Willesborough
Typical jobs here are in homes near The William Harvey Public House, Ashford Green Corridors and The North School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Ashford International station, roughly 0.9 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include William Harvey Hospital (0.8 miles east) and Ashford Designer Outlet (0.8 miles west). Open spaces near Willesborough include Hatch Park.
Useful tips for Willesborough property owners
Getting the most from a pre-purchase roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are set out in plain English, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
Once you’ve moved in, keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, particularly after autumn. Overflowing water is behind a lot of damp. Get a professional in rather than climbing up yourself.
When you need someone else
It is useful to know what a survey will not do before booking:
- A valuation or a promise of a lower price
- The condition of the rest of the house (that is a RICS home survey)
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Willesborough
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
Why get it checked now?
A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, 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 an older home around Willesborough, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why book with us
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
Places near Willesborough
Other services in Willesborough
Willesborough: your questions answered
Do you cover Willesborough?
Yes, Willesborough is within the area we cover. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just phone 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the property, and we will talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in Willesborough is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys on weekdays and at weekends. To find a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. The report sets out what we found, with photos, which you can share with the seller or agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In strong wind or a downpour, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.