Greater London · London and the South East
Roof leak investigation in Barnes, Greater London
We take a careful look at the leaking roof at your property in Barnes, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Damp on a chimney breast
- Brown rings on upstairs ceilings
- Leaks at a dormer or roof window
Barnes: your questions answered
Is my home in Barnes listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you carry out roof surveys in Barnes?
Yes, Barnes is within the area we cover. We work right across London and the South East. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the property.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Tell us about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
How experienced are you?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but we do not provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Can a leak be traced on a dry day?
In many cases, yes. Stains, tide marks, damp timbers and moisture readings usually point the way. Some leaks only show in particular weather, so photos and notes from when it leaks help a lot.
What do I do with the report?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. It is yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
Roof leak investigations for homes and businesses in Barnes
Older homes have more places for water to get in. Worn lead, tired valley linings and blocked parapet outlets are frequent causes. A central valley gutter on a butterfly roof often turns out to be the source. Parapet walls and their gutters are checked from wherever it is safe. Our report shows what we found, with photos. If you’ve noticed leaks at a dormer or roof window and staining around the chimney inside, we can find out what’s behind it.
In converted houses and blocks across London, water from a roof can run a long way before it shows on a ceiling, sometimes in a different flat from the one below the defect. That makes the source hard to pin down, and finding it matters for whoever has to deal with it. We check what we are given access to in Barnes, inside and out. It helps to know when the water appears and in what weather.
We keep jargon out of it: if work is needed, the report says so clearly.
- Place
- Barnes (SW13, SW15, SW14)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the leaking roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes between one and two hours for most homes, though a hard-to-trace leak can take longer. From the street, a London terrace normally shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Barnes we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- You get in touch with details of the leak and any photos.
- The visit starts indoors, at the stain and in the loft.
- We check the likely entry points outside, such as flashings, valleys, chimneys and gutters.
- Where it helps, we take moisture readings and use thermal imaging.
- We email a report with photographs, the likely entry point and recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
Read more
Should I look at the roof myself first?
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
A lot can be seen from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Why get it checked now?
A leak rarely stays small. Wet timbers start to decay, plaster softens and insulation stops working. Tracing it now means less to put right later. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. That’s a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan.
Price depends partly on the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
What you get with us
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
Take a look at our cost guide and two real surveys.
Tips that help
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Our tips:
- Check the loft is accessible
- Do not climb onto the roof to look
- Protect furniture and flooring under the leak
- Take dated photos of the leak
If the leak turns out to be condensation, the report says so, and suggest how the loft space could be better ventilated. That avoids roof work that wouldn’t help.
Plan a roof survey every few years. They’re where most leaks start, and catching wear early keeps water out.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roof upstands and outlets
The upturned edge of a flat roof covering keeps water out at walls. If it’s too low, cracked or poorly dressed, water gets behind it.
Lead flashings
A leak at a flashing frequently shows some way from the joint. That is why we check the flashings near a stain, not just the one directly above.
Places near Barnes
Also in Barnes
Honest limits
It’s a careful look at the leaking roof, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- A promise to find every leak on a single visit
- Leaks from plumbing, tanks or pipework rather than the roof
- The repair itself (the investigation finds and reports the cause)
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flat roof details
- The roof space
- Rooflights and dormers
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Slate and tile slopes
Wind, rain and roofs in Barnes
In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Each of these roof types has its own typical places for water to get in. The wider area around Barnes has a long history of building, with Chiswick House about 0.9 miles north-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
The streets around a church like Barnes Methodist Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, water on an older roof tends to find its way in at the lead, the valleys or the chimney. If you let a flat or house near Barnes Bridge station, a clear finding on where water gets in helps you brief a roofer right away. Shop and office owners around Putney Exchange may find that finding where water is getting in quickly keeps disruption down.
Barnes is about 2 miles west of Fulham, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Barnes can all book roof leak investigations. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, large and small. There is also a page for London.
Every address in SW13, SW15 and SW14 is within our area for roof leak investigations, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You’ll find streets such as Church Road, Station Road and Barnes High Street, all of which we cover. Barnes sits on or near the A306 and B349, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around Barnes: Old Chiswick (1 mile north), Turnham Green (1 mile north-west), Mortlake (1 mile south-west), East Sheen (1 mile south-west) and Putney (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (7 miles east), City of Westminster (5 miles north-east), Marylebone (5 miles north-east), Kensington (3 miles north-east), St Pancras (7 miles north-east) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-east).
What’s near Barnes
In Barnes, that means homes and buildings near Chiswick School, Sun Inn and Barn Elms. You will also find Polish Library POSK in London (1.4 miles north) and The Harrodian School (0.6 miles north). Barnes has its own railway station: Barnes Bridge station. Nearby you will also find Barnes Hospital (0.7 miles south-west) and Putney Exchange (1.4 miles south-east). Open spaces near Barnes include Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens Lake.