Greater London · London and the South East
New Eltham Roof Leak Investigation
Find out what’s going on with the leaking roof before you spend money on it. Roof leak investigations in New Eltham, with photos and a clear written report.
- Water coming in around a roof light or dormer
- Water dripping from rafters or underlay
- Brown rings on upstairs ceilings
How a roof leak investigation works in New Eltham
On older houses, leaks frequently start at lead work and hidden gutters. 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 in heavy rain. We check parapets, valleys and flashings from each safe vantage point. The findings are recorded with photos. Typical surveys look at damp patches next to the stack and wet patches on loft insulation, on slate and tile slopes, valleys and parapet gutters and flat roof details.
London’s Victorian and Edwardian roofs have frequently been repaired many times. Insurers typically exclude wear and tear, so it helps to know whether damage is old or new. That’s as true in New Eltham as anywhere in London. A written record with photographs helps you explain what was found to whoever deals with it next.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- New Eltham (SE9, DA15, BR7)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What happens on the day
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes between one and two hours at a typical home, and more on a big or complicated roof. In a London area like New Eltham, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at whatever is safely visible from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it’s safe, the roof itself.
- You pick a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey.
- A visit is booked for a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect inside and out, starting from the stain.
- Where it is useful and included, we take moisture readings and use thermal imaging.
- You get photos, the likely cause and clear recommendations.
How to prepare
- Leave side gates unlocked
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Check pets are kept safely away
Booking a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
Read more
What we cannot see
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- What’s under the covering or behind the plaster
- Leaks from plumbing, tanks or pipework rather than the roof
- A promise to find every leak on a single visit
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in New Eltham
- Rooflights and dormers
- Slate and tile slopes
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- The roof space
- Flat roof details
- Valleys and parapet gutters
What happens if roof problems are left?
A leak rarely stays small. Wet timbers start to decay, plaster softens and insulation stops working. Finding the source early keeps the damage down. London’s older roofs frequently have bitumen felt underlay or none at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left alone, that means wet timbers and plaster, which is a far bigger job than the roof fault itself.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in New Eltham
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Visits on any day of the week
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
Getting the most from a roof leak investigation starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Don’t touch fittings that water is reaching
- Note the weather when the leak shows
- Stay off ladders and the roof
- Photograph the stain each time it appears
Once the work is done, hold on to the report. If water appears again, it shows what was found before, which makes the next step quicker.
Have leaves and moss cleared from gutters, valleys and outlets, particularly in autumn. Blocked outlets on parapet and flat roofs cause many leaks. Leave the clearing to someone with the right equipment.
Leaks and storm damage in New Eltham
With Eltham Palace about 1.1 miles north-west, New Eltham sits in an area with a long building history. 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, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. The covering and its details give the first clues when tracing where water is coming from.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near The Glades, finding where water is getting in quickly keeps disruption down. If you live near a park such as Elmstead Wood, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. If you look after a building such as Wyborne Primary School, tracing a leak on a big roof starts with where the water appears and works back.
New Eltham is about 1 mile south-east of Eltham, in Greater London. Roofs in New Eltham get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. New Eltham is one of the places in Greater London where we work for roof leak investigations. There is also a page for London.
Here we cover the SE9, DA15 and BR7 postcode area for roof leak investigations. Whether your property is on Green Lane, Gerda Road and Novar Road or anywhere close by, we can help. We also cover the places around New Eltham: Eltham (1 mile north-west), Longlands (1 mile south-east), Coldharbour (1 mile south-west), Avery Hill (1 mile north) and Blackfen (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns like London (8 miles north-west), City of Westminster (11 miles north-west), Marylebone (11 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles west), St Pancras (10 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (9 miles north-west).
Near you in New Eltham
Around New Eltham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Elmstead Wood and St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School, among other places. New Eltham has its own railway station: New Eltham station. A little further out are Metropolitan Police Museum (1.4 miles east) and Eltham Community Hospital (1.1 miles north-west). Not far away are Summer Hill and The Tarn.
Questions from New Eltham
Is my home in New Eltham listed or in a conservation area?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is New Eltham in the area you cover?
Yes, New Eltham is within the area we cover. We cover the whole of London and South East England. You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Can you trace a leak in dry weather?
In most cases, yes. Damp materials can be found without rain. If a leak only appears in driving rain from one direction, we’ll tell you what we found and what’s most likely.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We note visible signs such as sagging or deflection, but we do not carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
What’s in the survey report?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, and ends with what we recommend. Points are put by urgency where it matters.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We carry out surveys on any day of the week. To arrange a date, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Nearby places to New Eltham
Other services in New Eltham
How we price roof leak investigations
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the price for your survey before you book.
What we need to know
A few details help us suggest the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it’s useful to mention:
- The kind of building and roof involved
- What made you get in touch
- Anything about access we should know
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.