Hampshire · London and the South East
Lower Common Roof Leak Investigation
Tracing where water is getting into your roof for Lower Common, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photos.
- Water through the ceiling under a flat roof
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
- Staining around the chimney inside
FAQs for Lower Common
Will you come out to Lower Common?
Yes, Lower Common is covered. We cover the whole of London and South East England, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
How do I find out if my home in Lower Common is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
What happens after the survey?
You’ll receive the report by email, and you decide the next step: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you’ll need a RICS survey as well.
Does the investigation include the repair?
A leak investigation finds and reports the likely source. The repair itself is a separate job. The report shows where the water gets in and what should be done.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
How a roof leak investigation works in Lower Common
Moisture readings and thermal imaging are used where they’re useful. Moisture readings show which materials are wet. Thermal imaging shows temperature differences that can point to wet areas, not water itself, so its findings are checked with moisture readings. Thermal imaging is part of the Premium Survey, and moisture detection comes with Standard. The best thermal results come after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. Typical surveys look at water coming in around a roof light or dormer and wet patches high on an inside wall, across valleys and parapet gutters, flat roof details and rooflights and dormers.
For a small place like Lower Common, the inspection is the same as anywhere: we simply plan the journey and access ahead. Let us know where the water shows, when it appears and anything you’ve noticed outside, along with any repairs done before. If you have photographs of the water coming in, they help as well.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent, whichever applies.
- Place
- Lower Common (RG27)
- Region
- Hampshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Different roofs, different checks
Slate and tile slopes
On slate roofs, corroded nails let slates slip. One slipped slate can be enough to cause a leak, especially in driving rain.
Chimney stacks
Our chimney check is a visual inspection of the stack, not a flue, gas or sweep inspection.
Common roof problems in Lower Common
Flashings are one of the commonest sources of roof leaks. Lead or mortar closes the gap wherever a roof meets a wall, chimney or dormer. Once that seal cracks or lifts, water gets behind it.
It’s worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Wet patches high on an inside wall
- Damp patches next to the stack
- Water coming in around a roof light or dormer
- Brown rings on upstairs ceilings
Living close to Shepperlands Farm Nature Reserve is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- When you will get the report
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether VAT is added on top
Why act early in Lower Common
If a leak has been ‘fixed’ before and has come back, the cause was probably missed. We look past the obvious spot and check each likely route. That is often what breaks the cycle. For older village homes like those around Lower Common, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT.
Why us?
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Visits on any day of the week
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- An independent view of the roof
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
Towns and villages near Lower Common
More services for Lower Common
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, though a hard-to-trace leak can take longer. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. Around Lower Common, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it is useful to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- You get in touch with details of the leak and any photos.
- Inside, we check the damp area and the loft space above it.
- We check the likely entry points outside, such as flashings, valleys, chimneys and gutters.
- We use moisture detection, and thermal imaging where it is useful.
- Your report sets out where the water is most likely getting in, with photos and recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Keep pets in another room
Getting a price
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Leaks and storm damage in Lower Common
Thatch survives on some older buildings in Hampshire’s villages. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Each of these roof types has its own typical places for water to get in. Stratfield Saye House, about 4.3 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Lower Common. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you own a rental within reach of Crowthorne station, tracing a leak quickly matters when a tenant is living with it. Anyone responsible for a site like Charles Kingsley's Church of England Primary School will know that water through a big roof can travel a long way before it drips, so the search covers more than the obvious spot.
Lower Common is about 3 miles west of Yateley, in Hampshire. We survey roofs in Lower Common and the rest of Hampshire, as part of our work across London and the South East. Lower Common is one of the towns and villages in Hampshire we cover. For surveys nearby, see our Reading page.
Postcode districts we cover here for roof leak investigations: RG27. That includes homes and businesses on Mud Lane, Lower Common and Warbrook Lane and the roads around them. If you’re just outside Lower Common, we cover Eversley (1 mile north-east), Eversley Centre (1 mile east), Eversley Cross (2 miles east), Finchampstead (2 miles east) and California (2 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Basingstoke (11 miles south-west), Farnborough (7 miles south-east), Fleet (6 miles south-east), Aldershot (9 miles south-east), Alton (14 miles south) and Yateley (3 miles east).
Landmarks near Lower Common
In Lower Common, that means homes and buildings near Bohunt School Wokingham, White Hart Public House and Shepperlands Farm Nature Reserve, among other places. Lower Common’s nearest station is Crowthorne station, roughly 3.5 miles east. A little further out are West Green House Agricultural Museum (3.9 miles south) and Beaumys Castle (4 miles north-west). For a walk, there is The Marshes Local Nature Reserve and Horseshoe Lake.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Tips from our surveys
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Check whether pipes or tanks run near the stain
- Take dated photos of the leak
- Stay off ladders and the roof
- Check the loft is accessible
Your report arrives by email, with photographs of what we found. It explains the likely entry point, the route the water takes and our recommendations. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Look at the roof from the ground after strong winds. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Prompt repairs stop gaps turning into leaks.