Greater London · London and the South East
Roof survey in Coldblow, Greater London
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Coldblow, with photos and a written report.
- Cracked or blistered flat roof coverings
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Leaning or weathered chimney stacks
Roof survey in Coldblow: what you get
There’s no single reason to have a roof surveyed. Some have seen a mark on a ceiling or bits of tile in the garden, others want a check before selling or after years without one. The approach is the same in each case: we inspect carefully and explain what we see in writing. Visits run on any day of the week, so it’s easy to find a day that suits. If you’ve noticed leaking gutter joints and downpipes and standing water on a flat roof, we can find out what’s behind it, on natural slate, ridges, hips and valleys and flat roofs alike.
A London butterfly roof slopes down to a central valley gutter that drains to the back of the house. From the street you see only a parapet wall, so blocked outlets and split linings go unnoticed until water comes through a ceiling. For a house in Coldblow with this kind of roof, the hidden gutter is one of the first things to check.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Where
- Coldblow (DA5)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before booking.
Booking your survey
When you call or email, these details help:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from ground level or a window, and please do not climb up for a closer look. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Signs you need a roof survey in Coldblow
Weather is the main thing that wears a roof down. Wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and rain finds any gap it can. Small faults that start this way grow over time.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Gaps in the roof where coverings have gone
- Loose ridge or hip tiles
- Valley linings that have cracked or split
- Leaking gutter joints and downpipes
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary the Virgin: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Before booking anyone
- How soon the report will arrive
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- What the survey won’t cover
Coldblow: your questions answered
Is drone flying allowed in Coldblow?
Usually it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. 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. Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Coldblow?
It can be, so it is useful to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we will arrange another day with you.
Can you look at a roof that is joined to next door?
Yes, we inspect your part of the roof. Next door’s roof is only inspected as far as we can see it. Shared chimneys and party-wall upstands are checked from your side.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We also inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed when you book.
What does a roof survey include?
Slates or tiles, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are all checked, plus the loft space where there’s safe access. The report includes photos and recommendations.
What a roof survey does not cover
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- A structural engineer’s report
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Coldblow
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Flat roofs
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings
- Clay and concrete tiles
Before and after the survey
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Check we can open the loft hatch
- Check the roof from the ground after storms
- Mention any flat roofs as well as the main roof
- Find records of any re-roofing or repairs
File the report with your other home documents. It is a useful baseline for future surveys, and buyers may ask about the roof when you sell.
Every so frequently, look in the loft space with a torch, keeping to boarded areas. Watch for stains, damp timbers and daylight through the roof. Take photos of anything that changes.
Coldblow homes and their roofs
If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
With Hall Place and Gardens about 0.7 miles north, the area around Coldblow has a long history. Older homes in the area may have roofs that need matching materials when work is done. Anyone responsible for a site like Maypole Primary School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Coldblow is about 3 miles east of Sidcup, in Greater London. Coldblow is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for homes and businesses alike. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small. There is also a page for London.
Roof surveys in DA5 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer roof surveys to properties on St Mary's Road, Dartford Road and Wansunt Road and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Coldblow: Joyden's Wood (1 mile south-east), Bowmans (1 mile east), North Cray (1 mile south-west), Crayford (1 mile north-east) and Wilmington (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover London (12 miles west), City of Westminster (15 miles west), Marylebone (14 miles north-west), St Pancras (14 miles north-west), Shoreditch (12 miles north-west) and Walthamstow (13 miles north-west).
What’s near Coldblow
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Old Wick pub, St Columba's Catholic Boys' School and Braeburn Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Bexley station, about 0.6 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Stone Castle (5 miles east) and Bexley Museum (0.7 miles north). Not far away are Wansunt Pit and Summer Hill.
Towns and villages near Coldblow
What else we do in Coldblow
The survey, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. Most surveys take an hour or two at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that’s the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- We start with the property details and any concerns.
- We agree a date, including weekends if that suits you.
- Outside, we inspect from the ground, windows and other safe vantage points, and from the roof where safe.
- We then look in the loft for damp, staining and the condition of the underlay.
- We email a report with photos and recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Check pets are kept safely away
Book a survey
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form, let us know about the property and we will explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Read more
Landlord and commercial surveys in Coldblow
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, useful for planning maintenance.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Coldblow. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or email us.