Greater London · London and the South East
Monkhams Roof Leak Investigation
We take a careful look at the leaking roof at your property in Monkhams, with photos and a written report.
- Damp on a chimney breast
- Damp walls below an overflowing gutter
- Condensation that looks like a leak
Roof leak investigations around Monkhams
With Valentines Mansion about 3.6 miles south-east, Monkhams sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs often 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. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Monkhams is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Different coverings let water in at different points, which shapes where the search starts.
Homes near green spaces like The Highams Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. The streets around a church like All Saints' Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, leaks on older roofs often start at lead flashings, valleys or around old chimney stacks. If you look after a building like Wells Primary School, tracing a leak on a big roof starts with where the water appears and works back.
Monkhams is about 1 mile north of Woodford, in Greater London. We provide roof leak investigations for householders, landlords and businesses in Monkhams and nearby. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. London is in our area too.
We work across IG8, IG9 and E4 for roof leak investigations. If you need a roof leak investigation at a property on Oak Lane, Wood Lane and Mill Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Main roads around Monkhams include the A121. Nearby, we also carry out roof leak investigations in Woodford Wells (1 mile east), Friday Hill (1 mile west), Woodford (1 mile south), Buckhurst Hill (1 mile north-east) and Chingford Hatch (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include London (10 miles south-west), City of Westminster (10 miles south-west), Marylebone (10 miles south-west), Kensington (13 miles south-west), St Pancras (9 miles south-west) and Shoreditch (8 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Monkhams
Typical jobs here are in homes near Woodford Green Preparatory School, The Highams Park and Trinity Catholic High School and the streets around them. The closest station to Monkhams is Highams Park station, roughly 1.2 miles south-west. A little further out are The Epping Forest Museum (1.3 miles north) and Claybury Hospital (2.1 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Highams Park Lake and Pole Hill.
About our roof leak investigation in Monkhams
Roof leaks rarely show up where you’d expect. It can run along a rafter, a batten or the underlay before it drips, so a ceiling stain is rarely directly below the cause. Our leak investigation traces it back, one likely route at a time. Patching the spot above the stain frequently misses the real cause. Finding the route first lets the repair go where it is needed. If you’ve noticed leaks that appear only in driving rain and stains around a skylight, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
In London, leaks often start somewhere hidden: a butterfly roof’s central valley gutter, a parapet gutter, a chimney flashing or a flat roof over a back addition. Whether you are tracing a leak or recording storm damage in Monkhams, those are among the first places to look. Water from a hidden gutter can run along joists and show up a room or two away.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Location
- Monkhams (IG8, IG9, E4)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Slate and tile slopes
‘Nail fatigue’ is a common cause of slipped slates. Even a single gap can let water in.
Chimney stacks
Water that gets in at the top can show up lower down. Open, unused pots let rain fall down the flue.
Tips that help
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Move stored items away from the hatch
- Check whether pipes or tanks run near the stain
- Record whether it leaks in every downpour or only some
- Don’t climb onto the roof to look
Keep the report after the work is done. If the leak returns, it is a useful record of what was found, which makes the next step quicker.
Keep the roof space ventilated. Air movement keeps condensation down, and condensation is a common false alarm. Check insulation does not block airflow at the eaves.
What a survey costs
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How big the roof is
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
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.
Getting in touch
A little information up front helps. It’s useful to include:
- What made you get in touch
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.
Honest limits
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Whether rotten timbers meet design loads
- The repair itself (the investigation finds and reports the cause)
- An intermittent leak that shows no trace on the day
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Monkhams
- The roof space
- Flat roof details
- Slate and tile slopes
- Chimney stacks
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Rooflights and dormers
- Lead flashings
Questions from Monkhams
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Monkhams?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we’ll work around them.
How do I find out if my home in Monkhams is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Is it a leak or condensation?
It is a common question. A leak typically shows in one area and follows rain, while condensation is frequently widespread and worst on cold days. We tell you which it is most likely to be.
How fast do I get the report?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Let us know about it when booking and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you when you book.
What insurance do you have?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
What we do, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours, more where the leak is intermittent or the roof is large. If you have questions on the day, just ask. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so a visit in Monkhams moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- You tell us where the water appears, when, and what the weather was doing.
- Inside, we look at the stain and the ceiling around it.
- From the loft space, we trace the water’s route where there is safe access.
- Outside, we check flashings, valleys, chimneys, gutters and flat roof details from every safe viewpoint.
- We email a written report showing where the water most likely gets in.
Getting ready for the survey
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
How to book
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Read more
Why get it checked now?
Leaks tend to get worse, not better. Wind lifts loose slates further and gaps widen. Tracing it now lets you plan the work rather than react to it. Any roof job in Monkhams means planning around parking, neighbours and access. That is a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan.
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why book with us
- Prices that include VAT
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.