Greater London · London and the South East
Roof survey in Charing Cross, Greater London
We carry out roof surveys in Charing Cross and the rest of Greater London. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Gutters that overflow in heavy rain
- Leaning or weathered chimney stacks
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or broken
Roof survey in Charing Cross: what you get
There are three levels of survey: a Basic Survey from £150, a Standard Survey from £250 and a Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included. Basic is a visual inspection with photos and written recommendations. The higher packages add more checks, with moisture detection and a structural check, and on Premium, thermal imaging and a drone where it applies. Each one comes with a written report. If you’re worried about water stains on rafters and ceiling joists and slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles, we can find out what’s behind it, on lead flashings, ridges, hips and valleys and flat roofs alike.
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 Charing Cross, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a careful look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Place
- Charing Cross (W1F, W1D, W1S)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Charing Cross homes and their roofs
Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. With Benjamin Franklin House about 0.1 miles east, Charing Cross 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 the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you look after a building such as Soho Parish CofE Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you live near a park such as Victoria Embankment Gardens, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. If you run a business near Kingly Court, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Charing Cross is about 1 mile south-east of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Anywhere in Charing Cross, we can carry out roof surveys at your property. Charing Cross is one of the places in Greater London where we work for roof surveys.
Every address in W1F, W1D and W1S is covered for roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You will find streets such as Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bridle Lane, and we cover them all. You’ll find Charing Cross on the A4 and A301, so it’s easy for us to get to. Other places close to Charing Cross include St James's (1 mile west), Adelphi (1 mile north-east), Chinatown (1 mile north-west), West End (1 mile north) and Covent Garden (1 mile north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Kensington (3 miles west), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west) and Ruislip (13 miles west).
Around Charing Cross
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Westminster Abbey Choir School, Silver Cross Tavern and Harris Westminster Sixth Form. Also close by are London Library (under half a mile west) and Victoria Embankment Gardens (under half a mile east). Charing Cross has its own railway station: London Charing Cross station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (1.2 miles east) and Royal United Services Institute (within half a mile south). Green spaces nearby include Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.
Honest limits
It’s a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- How the roof will behave in every kind of weather
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will point you to the right survey before booking. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Charing Cross
- The roof space
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Flat roofs
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Clay and concrete tiles
Why act early in Charing Cross
Leaks rarely show up right away. Damp spreads through insulation and timber before anything shows below. A survey can pick up the early signs from the loft. 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 unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
A Basic Survey starts from £150, inc. VAT. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both including VAT. You’ll know the price for your survey before booking.
Why book with us
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Read how roof surveys are priced and two real surveys.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
A lot can be seen from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Charing Cross questions
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near London Charing Cross station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you need.
Are there drone restrictions around Charing Cross?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea comes within about 2 miles of Charing Cross. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. 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. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Normally, if there’s one and it can be reached safely. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that can’t be seen from outside.
Is your survey a structural engineer’s report?
No. We report on the roof’s condition, and Standard and Premium include structural checks. It does not include structural calculations, which need an engineer.
How do I book a survey in Charing Cross?
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 suggest the right survey. Surveys run seven days a week.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have completed over 5,000 surveys.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in, while outside access can be discussed when you book.
How the survey works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photographs. On timing, it normally takes about one to two hours for an ordinary house roof, and longer if there are extensions, dormers or several chimneys. In Charing Cross, as in much of London, a good many properties are flats or terraces without side access, so rear slopes are viewed from windows, the loft or, where a flight is allowed, by drone. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, tell us when booking.
- You let us know about the property and any concerns.
- We agree a date, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- We check the coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, and photograph what we find.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Book a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you’re ready.
Advice
What a survey costs
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Building height and the viewpoints available
Roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can safely be seen and the package you choose.
Getting in touch
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It’s enough to let us know:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The address and postcode of the property
- When you need the report by
Most bookings start with a short call: ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we will ask about the building and what you need. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Places near Charing Cross
What else we do in Charing Cross
What we look for on each type of roof
Clay plain and peg tiles
Handmade and machine-made clay tiles are long-lasting. We check for cracked, slipped and missing tiles, and for spalling where the surface has flaked.
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead flashings seal chimneys, walls and abutments. Lifted, split or slipped lead is recorded.