Greater London · London and the South East
Roof Survey in Aldgate
Know where you stand with the roof before you spend money on it. Roof surveys in Aldgate, with photos and a clear written report.
- Standing water on a flat roof
- Torn or sagging underlay
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or broken
Your questions about roof surveys in Aldgate
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Aldgate?
Normally it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Aldgate is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. If a roof falls inside it, we apply for permission before flying, and the flight only goes ahead if it is granted. London’s airspace includes flight restriction zones around Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. Strong wind or heavy rain also stops a small drone flying, and the rest of the survey doesn’t depend on the drone.
Is my home in Aldgate listed or in a conservation area?
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.
How long does the visit take?
Allow between one and two hours on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. We’ll confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
What does a roof survey include?
Every part of the roof we can safely see: the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and roof space. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check, and Premium adds thermal imaging and a drone where applicable.
Do you give a life expectancy for the roof?
Not as a figure. We describe the condition of each part of the roof and how it is wearing, and we say what needs attention and how urgently.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys run seven days a week. To find a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Is Aldgate in your area?
Yes, we do. We carry out roof surveys in Aldgate, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Roof survey in Aldgate: what you get
Many homes have several roofs, not just one. Rear extensions, dormers, porches and garages often have flat roofs in felt, EPDM rubber, GRP or asphalt. They’re included alongside the main roof, looking for ponding, splits, blisters and worn upstands. Flat roofs frequently need attention long before the main roof, so they deserve a proper look. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, while EPDM rubber can last 30 to 50. We survey natural slate, the roof space and clay and concrete tiles, and people most frequently book us about ridge tiles that have lifted or moved and water stains on rafters and ceiling joists.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In Aldgate, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a close look rather than a glance from the street. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a proper look too.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, each with a short note and a photograph. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Aldgate (E1, EC2A, SE1)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we’re asked to look at in Aldgate
The underlay under the coverings matters too. Breathable roofing membranes came into use in the UK in the late 1990s, so many older roofs have bitumen felt underlay, and some very old roofs have no underlay at all. Felt that has torn or perished stops doing its job.
People typically book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles
- Ridge tiles that have lifted or moved
- Gutters that overflow in heavy rain
For landlords with property near London Fenchurch Street station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- How long the report takes to arrive
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether VAT is added on top
Also near Aldgate
Also in Aldgate
What a roof survey looks like in Aldgate
The wider area around Aldgate has a long history of building, with Mansion House about 0.5 miles west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Aldgate is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. Where the drone is part of the survey, we check whether the address falls inside it before flying.
If you look after a building such as The Aldgate School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Homes near green spaces such as Finsbury Circus can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Aldgate is about 1 mile north-east of London, in Greater London. From houses to flats and shops in Aldgate, the roof can be surveyed. Our area takes in places right across Greater London.
Here we cover the E1, EC2A and SE1 postcode area for roof surveys. Streets in the area include Bush Lane, Swan Lane and Mark Lane, and we cover them all. Main roads around Aldgate include the A3 and A10. If you’re just outside Aldgate, we cover Spitalfields (1 mile north-east), Bishopsgate (1 mile north-west), Tower Hill (1 mile south), Whitechapel (1 mile north-east) and City of London (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns such as City of Westminster (3 miles west), Marylebone (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (5 miles north-west) and Ruislip (15 miles west).
Near you in Aldgate
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives, Fund Academy and East India Arms and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include London Enterprise Academy (0.6 miles east), St Mary-at-Hill (under half a mile south-west) and Finsbury Circus (0.5 miles north-west). Aldgate has its own railway station: London Fenchurch Street station. Other landmarks nearby include Gabriel's Wharf (1.4 miles west) and Tower of London (within half a mile south). For a walk, there’s St. James's Park Lake and Lavender Pond.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps when budgeting.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the roof, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
What affects the price in Aldgate
To price your survey, we check:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report is not charged as an extra. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- When you need the report by
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Why act early in Aldgate
A small roof defect typically gets bigger. One slipped slate lets water reach the battens and underlay, and damp timber slowly weakens. Catching it early means less to put right. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay 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.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before booking.
Why book with us
- Packages from £150, including VAT
- A written report with photos
- An independent view of the roof
- PI and public liability insurance
Tips that help
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Look for debris in the garden after high winds
- Let us know about past leaks
- Keep a record of damp patches and dates
- Leave roof access to professionals
The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up. It helps you see whether anything has changed.
Have the roof surveyed every few years, and after major storms. Regular checks catch problems while they’re small. Compare each report with the last.
How it works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the roof as can be seen safely and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It normally takes an hour or two for an ordinary house roof, and longer if there are extensions, dormers or several chimneys. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- You get in touch with the address and anything you’ve noticed.
- We arrange a day that suits you, including weekends.
- The roof is inspected from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- Every part of the roof is checked and photographed.
- Your report arrives by email, with recommendations prioritised by urgency.
Preparing for the visit
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Let us know about parking near the property
Book a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or email us to find out.