Greater London · London and the South East
Pratt's Bottom Roof Leak Investigation
Find out the condition of the leaking roof at your property in Pratt's Bottom from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Damp walls below an overflowing gutter
- Condensation that looks like a leak
- Water coming in around a roof light or dormer
Pratt's Bottom: your questions answered
Is my home in Pratt's Bottom listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Pratt's Bottom?
It can be, so it is useful to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you as you book.
What should I do before you arrive?
Make sure the loft can be reached. Gather any photos and notes about when it leaks, and tell us about past repairs. In the meantime, catch the water and keep it clear of lights and sockets.
How do I arrange a roof leak investigation in Pratt's Bottom?
To book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what you’d like to know. We’ll confirm the price and agree a day with you.
Can you always find the source?
We can’t promise to find every leak on one visit. Most leave clues we can follow, but some only appear in certain weather. We report what we found and the likeliest sources.
Can you trace a leak in dry weather?
In many cases, yes. Leaks leave clues, such as staining, damp timber and moisture in materials. Intermittent leaks can be harder, so photos and notes from when it leaks help a lot.
Roof leak investigation in Pratt's Bottom: what you get
Some leaks only appear in certain weather. Driving rain from one direction, melting snow or a gutter that overflows in a downpour can all set it off. Telling us when it happens helps a lot, along with any photos you’ve taken. Even on a dry day, a leak usually leaves clues: stained timbers, tide marks and damp underlay. Moisture readings show where materials are still wet. We survey flat roof details, lead flashings and rooflights and dormers, and common reasons people get in touch are staining around the chimney inside and a leak that comes and goes with the weather.
London’s Victorian and Edwardian roofs have frequently been repaired many times, so a new leak can be the latest sign of wear rather than a single event. Insurers usually exclude wear and tear, so it is useful to know whether damage is old or new. That is as true in Pratt's Bottom as anywhere in London. A written record with photos helps you explain what was found to whoever deals with it next.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Place
- Pratt's Bottom (BR6, TN14)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
We survey roofs for landlords and letting agents as well as homeowners. A report with photos gives you a clear record of the leaking roof.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work.
The survey, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. Most surveys take an hour or two for most homes, though a hard-to-trace leak can take longer. For a visit in Pratt's Bottom, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the roof space and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with what you’ve seen: where the stain is and when it gets worse.
- The visit starts indoors, at the stain and in the loft.
- We check the likely entry points outside, such as flashings, valleys, chimneys and gutters.
- Moisture readings and thermal imaging are used where they help.
- We email a report with photos, the likely entry point and recommendations.
How to prepare
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Arrange a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Related advice
Wind, rain and roofs in Pratt's Bottom
Down House, about 2.7 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Pratt's Bottom. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Outer London has a good many Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Pratt's Bottom is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. The covering and its details give the first clues when tracing where water is coming from.
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near All Souls' Church, old mortar, worn lead and slipped slates are the usual suspects when water gets in. Take a building like Pratts Bottom Primary School: water through a big roof can travel a long way before it drips, so the search covers more than the obvious spot.
Pratt's Bottom is about 3 miles south of Orpington, in Greater London. Anywhere in Pratt's Bottom, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across Greater London, we cover Pratt's Bottom. You can also see our page for London.
Here we cover the BR6 and TN14 postcode area for roof leak investigations. We cover properties on Orchard Road, Runciman Close and Downs View Close. If you’re just outside Pratt's Bottom, we cover Halstead (1 mile south-east), Chelsfield (1 mile north-east), Bopeep (1 mile north-east), Badgers Mount (1 mile east) and Maypole (1 mile north-east). Larger places within reach include London (14 miles north-west), Shoreditch (15 miles north-west), Whitechapel (14 miles north-west), Stockwell (13 miles north-west), Orpington (3 miles north) and Wimbledon (15 miles west).
What’s near Pratt's Bottom
Around Pratt's Bottom, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Hewitt's Chalk Bank and Green Street Green Primary School. Pratt's Bottom’s nearest station is Knockholt station, roughly 0.8 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Crofton Roman Villa (2.4 miles north-west) and Lullingstone Castle (3.8 miles east). For a walk, there’s Betsom's Hill and Downe Bank Nature Reserve.
What a roof leak investigation doesn’t cover
Every survey has limits, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Putting the leak right
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Slate and tile slopes
- Rooflights and dormers
- Flat roof details
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Lead flashings
Why act early in Pratt's Bottom
A leak near lights or wiring needs attention quickly. If water is reaching a light fitting or switch, keep clear of it. Then the source needs tracing. In Pratt's Bottom, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: a blocked parapet gutter or slipped slate can let water into the flat below or the house next door. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both including VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
Why us?
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
- 20+ years’ experience
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Surveys seven days a week
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Places near Pratt's Bottom
More services for Pratt's Bottom
How the survey changes by roof type
Slate and tile slopes
Slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles let rain onto the underlay. Ageing felt eventually lets water through.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used instead of lead. They crack as the roof and wall move, and water runs down behind them.
What we’re asked to look at in Pratt's Bottom
A gutter that overflows can soak a wall and mark the ceiling inside. Hidden gutters behind parapets cause the most trouble, because when they block, water backs up and runs inside.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
- Water through the ceiling under a flat roof
- Wet patches high on an inside wall
- Leaks that appear only in driving rain
Trees in and around Hewitt's Chalk Bank shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
What to check before booking
- Their insurance cover
- What exactly goes into their report
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether the inside of the roof is included