Greater London · London and the South East
Roof survey in Finsbury, Greater London
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Finsbury, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Ponding, splits or blisters on flat roofs
- Loose ridge or hip tiles
Tips that help
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Mention any flat roofs as well as the main roof
- Take photos of any leaks as they happen
- Gather any paperwork for past roof work
- Move stored items away from the loft hatch
Keep the report with your property records. It gives you something to compare against later, and buyers may ask about the roof when you sell.
Have gutters and valleys cleared regularly, particularly after autumn. Use a gutter contractor rather than climbing a ladder yourself. Most overflow damage starts with a blocked gutter.
Roof survey in Finsbury
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. We check them as well as the main pitched roof, including signs of standing water, splits and tired upstands. A flat roof normally wears out sooner than a pitched one, so they deserve a careful look. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, while EPDM rubber can last 30 to 50. We survey chimney stacks, natural slate and clay and concrete tiles, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are standing water on a flat roof and gutters that overflow in heavy rain.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In Finsbury, 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 close look too.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Finsbury (EC1V, N1, EC2A)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey works
Before we start, tell us why you’ve booked: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit typically takes about one to two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so a visit in Finsbury moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- We start by hearing what you’d like checked and why.
- We agree a date, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The roof is inspected from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- We check the coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters, and photograph what we find.
- We email a report with photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Book a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Advice
What a roof survey does not cover
Every survey has limits, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- A full building survey of the property
- Whether the roof structure meets design loads
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Flat roofs
- Ridges, hips and valleys
Surveys for landlords and agents in Finsbury
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays, which can make access easier.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out with the most urgent first where relevant, which helps when budgeting.
DIY checks: what’s safe
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking.
Roof surveys in Finsbury: local notes
With Mansion House about 0.6 miles south, Finsbury sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
For landlords with property near Old Street station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. If you look after a building such as Prior Weston Primary School and Children's Centre, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Gabriel's Wharf, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
Finsbury is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Finsbury can all book roof surveys. Finsbury is one of the places in Greater London where we work.
We cover every part of the EC1V, N1 and EC2A postcode area for roof surveys and the streets around it. You will find streets such as Oat Lane, Long Lane and Love Lane. Main roads around Finsbury include the A1 and A501, which makes travel easy. We also cover St Luke's (1 mile north), Barbican Estate (1 mile south), City of London (1 mile south), Bishopsgate (1 mile south-east) and Shoreditch (1 mile east). We also work in nearby towns such as City of Westminster (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west) and Brompton (4 miles south-west).
Near you in Finsbury
We work in homes and buildings around Artillery Ground, Barts Health Archives and Charterhouse Square School and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include The Jugged Hare pub (under half a mile south), St Mary-at-Hill (0.9 miles south-east) and Central Foundation Boys' School (under half a mile north-east). Finsbury has its own railway station: Old Street station. Other landmarks nearby include Honourable Artillery Company Museum (less than half a mile east) and Gabriel's Wharf (1.2 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Barnsbury Wood and Ludgate Hill.
What else we do in Finsbury
Different roofs, different checks
Clay plain and peg tiles
Tile-hanging on walls and dormer cheeks is checked as part of the roof where it’s relevant. Loose or missing tiles there let rain into the wall.
Chimney stacks
We check the stack itself, and it is not a flue or gas safety check. If a specialist is needed, we’ll say so.
FAQs for Finsbury
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Finsbury?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Finsbury is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. We check whether the address falls inside it, and if it does we apply for permission, which is not always given. 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. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, and the rest of the survey does not depend on the drone.
Is my home in Finsbury listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
What’s covered in a roof inspection?
All the main parts of the roof: 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 it applies.
Will you check the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Can you look at a roof that’s joined to next door?
Yes, we can. We survey the parts of the roof you have access to. Where a defect looks to be on the neighbour’s side, the report says so.
Is Finsbury in your area?
Yes. We survey roofs in Finsbury and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and South East England. For a price, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.