Kent · London and the South East
Roof Leak Investigation in Greatness
Roof leak investigations in Greatness from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Water that shows only in certain storms
- Water marks that spread in wet weather
- Damp patches next to the stack
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Faults hidden behind ceilings or boarding
- Putting the leak right
- Structural calculations (that is a structural engineer’s job)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Lead flashings
- Rooflights and dormers
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Chimney stacks
- Slate and tile slopes
- The roof space
- Flat roof details
Roof leak investigation in Greatness
Older homes have more places for water to get in. Worn lead, tired valley linings and blocked parapet outlets are frequent causes. If your home has a butterfly roof, the central valley gutter is a common culprit in heavy rain. We check parapets, valleys and flashings from every safe vantage point. Our report shows what we found, with photos. We survey slate and tile slopes, valleys and parapet gutters and rooflights and dormers, and people most often book us about a leak that comes and goes with the weather and water marks that spread in wet weather.
Chimney stacks on older houses around places like Greatness can let water in, at the flashings, the pointing or the mortar round the pots. Damp on a chimney breast is not always rain from above, which is why it’s worth tracing properly. It is worth looking at the stack from outside and at the timbers beside it in the loft.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the leaking roof, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Place
- Greatness (TN13, TN14, TN15)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings
Some roofs have mortar where you’d expect lead. They crack as the roof and wall move, and water runs down behind them.
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.
What a survey costs
Our packages start from £150, including VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The roof’s overall size
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
Helping us price your survey
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Anything about access we should know
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Towns and villages near Greatness
Also in Greatness
Greatness roofs and the weather
Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Different coverings let water in at different points, which shapes where the search starts. With Knole House about 1.7 miles south, Greatness sits in an area with a long building history. 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.
For an older house near a landmark such as St John the Baptist, leaks on older roofs frequently start at lead flashings, valleys or around old chimney stacks. For landlords with property near Bat & Ball station, finding the cause of a leak fast keeps a tenant’s home dry and the work focused.
Greatness is about 1 mile north-east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Whether the building in Greatness is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. Our Kent coverage includes Greatness. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
We survey roofs across the TN13, TN14 and TN15 postcode area for roof leak investigations and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Seal Road, Mill Lane and Sandy Lane. If you are just outside Greatness, we cover Seal (1 mile east), Godden Green (2 miles south-east), Styants Bottom (3 miles east), Bitchet Green (3 miles south-east) and Stone Street (3 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (14 miles east), Dartford (11 miles north), Royal Tunbridge Wells (11 miles south), Gravesend (12 miles north-east), Tonbridge (7 miles south-east) and Northfleet (12 miles north-east).
Near you in Greatness
We work in homes and buildings around The Old Bat and Ball pub, Wildernesse School and Knole Academy. There’s a railway station in Greatness itself: Bat & Ball station. Other landmarks nearby include Sevenoaks Museum (1.3 miles south) and Kemsing Castle Bank (1.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Greatness include Dryhill Nature Reserve.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we check the roof.
When to book a survey in Greatness
Flat roofs fail with age and wear. Felt frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, and splits, blisters and lifting laps let water in. Leaks often start at the edges, upstands and outlets.
Most people get in touch after spotting one of these:
- Water through the ceiling under a flat roof
- Leaks that appear only in driving rain
- Brown rings on upstairs ceilings
- Staining around the chimney inside
Homes near green spaces like Montreal Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
What to check before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
What we do, step by step
It is useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. That way we can focus on what matters to you. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, though a hard-to-trace leak can take longer. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Greatness, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we cannot get to. The loft, where there’s safe access, completes the picture.
- You tell us where the water shows and when it appears.
- Inside, we check the damp area and the loft space above it.
- Likely entry points outside are looked at, from flashings and valleys to gutters and outlets.
- Moisture readings and thermal imaging are used where they help.
- We email a report with photographs, the likely entry point and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Find any records of previous roof work
Arrange a survey
We survey roofs seven days a week. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Related advice
Your questions about roof leak investigations in Greatness
Do you carry out roof surveys in Greatness?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Greatness as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you cover smaller places like Greatness?
Yes, Greatness is covered. Our area covers London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Is thermal imaging part of a leak investigation?
Where conditions suit, it can. The best results come after a sunny day, on a dry roof with little wind. Wet insulation holds heat longer than dry, which can show up on the image. We always check what it shows with moisture readings.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Not unless it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and the report uses them to show each finding.