Greater London · London and the South East
Roof leak investigation in Pollards Hill, Greater London
Tracing where water is getting into your roof across Pollards Hill, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
- Leaks below a flat extension roof
- Wet patches on loft insulation
What happens if roof problems are left?
Guesswork repairs are a common reason leaks keep coming back. The real way in may be a metre or more away. We find the probable source before anyone starts work. London’s older roofs often 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. Roof leak investigation starts from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Plain-English reports with photos
Take a look at our cost guide and two real surveys.
How a roof leak investigation works in Pollards Hill
Water is good at hiding where it gets in. Water frequently travels along timbers or underlay before it finds a way down, 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. We’re often asked to look into damp walls below an overflowing gutter and leaks at a dormer or roof window, across valleys and parapet gutters, slate and tile slopes and the roof space.
Many London homes are well over a century old and their roofs have been patched more than once. Telling wear from a one-off event matters, because insurers typically exclude wear and tear. A careful look in Pollards Hill tells the two apart where the evidence allows. A written record with photographs helps you explain what was found to whoever deals with it next.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- Pollards Hill (CR7, SW16, SE19)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for roof leak investigations in Pollards Hill
To price your survey, we look at:
- Height and safe access
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Which survey package you book
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It’s useful to include:
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
How it works
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you need to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely, using the ground, windows, the loft and a drone where applicable. Most surveys take about 1–2 hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In Pollards Hill, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- We start with your notes and photos of the leak.
- We examine the damp area and the rooms near it.
- In the loft, we follow any signs of water back towards the roof.
- We inspect the likely entry points outside, from ground level, windows and the roof where safe.
- We email a written report showing where the water most likely gets in.
Before the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Book a survey
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
When to book a survey in Pollards Hill
Slipped or missing slates and tiles let rain reach the underlay. Old bitumen felt may cope for a while, but it tears and sags with age, while some very old roofs have nothing under the coverings. Corroded nails, known as ‘nail fatigue’, are a frequent cause on slate roofs.
People typically book a survey after spotting something like this:
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
- Staining where a gutter or parapet meets the wall
- Wet patches on loft insulation
- Leaks below a flat extension roof
Take a building like Kensington Avenue Primary School: water through a big roof can travel a long way before it drips, so the search covers more than the obvious spot.
What to check before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Honest limits
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Putting the leak right
- Whether rotten timbers meet design loads
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Flat roof details
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Lead flashings
- Rooflights and dormers
- Slate and tile slopes
Leaks and storm damage in Pollards Hill
With Kingswood House about 1.9 miles north-east, Pollards Hill 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. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Each of these roof types has its own typical places for water to get in.
If you let a flat or house near Norbury station, finding the cause of a leak fast keeps a tenant’s home dry and the work focused. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Centrale Croydon, water through a ceiling can damage stock and close a sales floor, so the source needs finding fast.
Pollards Hill is about 1 mile north of Thornton Heath, in Greater London. We provide roof leak investigations for homes and businesses in Pollards Hill and nearby. Across Greater London, we cover Pollards Hill and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We survey roofs across the CR7, SW16 and SE19 postcode area for roof leak investigations. If you need a roof leak investigation at a property on Green Lane, Croft Road and Downs Road or a nearby road, we can help. Other places close to Pollards Hill include Norbury (1 mile north), Thornton Heath (1 mile south), Streatham (2 miles north-west), Streatham Park (2 miles north-west) and Mitcham (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include London (6 miles north), City of Westminster (8 miles north), Marylebone (8 miles north), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (8 miles north) and Shoreditch (8 miles north).
Local landmarks in Pollards Hill
We work in homes and buildings around Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls, Silburn Reid and The Moon Under Water pub, among other places. The closest station to Pollards Hill is Norbury station, roughly 0.6 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Crystal Palace Museum (1.5 miles north-east) and Croydon University Hospital (1.3 miles south). For a walk, there is Knight's Hill and Biggin Wood.
Pollards Hill questions
Is my home in Pollards Hill listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Is Pollards Hill in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
What’s the best way to book?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or email us. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll recommend the right survey. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Why doesn’t the damp patch line up with the hole?
Because water travels. It can follow a timber or the underlay a long way first, so the stain may be some distance from where it gets in. That’s why we trace the route rather than patching above the stain.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so the building owner or managing agent needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
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 long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
Before and after the survey
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Our tips:
- Note the weather when the leak shows
- Catch drips in a bucket and protect the floor
- Stay off ladders and the roof
- Move stored items away from the hatch
If the leak turns out to be condensation, the report says so, with recommendations on ventilation. It saves chasing a leak that is not there.
Keep the loft space ventilated. Air movement keeps condensation down, which is often mistaken for a leak. Keep insulation clear of the eaves.