Greater London · London and the South East
Roof survey in Forest Hill, Greater London
Roof surveys for homes and businesses in Forest Hill. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Debris building up in roof valleys
- Gaps in the roof where coverings have gone
- Loose chimney pots
About our roof survey in Forest Hill
Across London and South East England, roofs differ widely. A Victorian or Edwardian terrace may have slate, a central valley gutter and parapet walls, and many post-war homes have concrete interlocking tiles instead. We adapt the survey to the roof in front of us. Some older homes have clay tiles, and many have a flat-roofed extension as well. Every part gets the attention it needs. We survey ridges, hips and valleys, chimney stacks and the roof space, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are gaps in the roof where coverings have gone and leaking gutter joints and downpipes.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is usually a shared part of the building. Whoever looks after the building needs a clear picture of the roof, chimneys and gutters. Leaks from a shared roof rarely affect just one home. A report gives everyone the same picture to plan from, with photographs.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Place
- Forest Hill (SE23, SE22, SE26)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
It is useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. That way we can focus on what matters to you. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. 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 help you choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey.
- On the day, we start by hearing what you’ve noticed.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Extra checks are carried out where your package includes them.
- You get a written report with photos and clear recommendations.
How to prepare
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Keep pets in another room
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Advice
What we can’t see
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- The condition of the rest of the building (that’s a RICS home survey)
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Natural slate
- Flat roofs
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
Common roof problems in Forest Hill
Chimneys stand exposed above the roof. Pointing erodes, flaunching cracks and pots work loose. Damp on a chimney breast inside frequently starts at the top of the stack.
Problems we come across often include:
- Cracked or blistered flat roof coverings
- Worn lead at chimneys and abutments
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Cracked mortar along the ridge
The streets around a church such as Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- What experience they bring
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
Forest Hill: your questions answered
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Forest Hill?
It can be, so it helps to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Honor Oak Park station?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
How much does a roof survey cost in Forest Hill?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included.
How long does a roof survey take?
The visit normally takes an hour or two for most homes, depending on how many separate roofs there are. We’ll confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
When will the report arrive?
The Premium Survey has a same-day report, Standard 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Each report includes photographs.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead flashings seal chimneys, walls and abutments. We check for lead that has lifted, split or slipped, and for flashings replaced with mortar or bitumen.
Flat roof coverings
Standing water, blisters and splits all point to wear. Upstands and outlets are checked too.
Also near Forest Hill
Other services in Forest Hill
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Forest Hill
If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Historic houses such as Kingswood House, about 1.6 miles south-west, show how far back building around Forest Hill goes. If you own one of the older houses, the roof may have been repaired many times, and the survey records how each part is holding up. Anyone responsible for a site like Fairlawn Primary School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Forest Hill is about 2 miles south-east of East Dulwich, in Greater London. Wherever you are in Forest Hill, we can carry out roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Forest Hill is one of the places in Greater London where we work.
Here we cover the SE23, SE22 and SE26 postcode area for roof surveys. If you need a roof survey at a property on Ewart Road, London Road and Rojack Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Forest Hill: Honor Oak (1 mile north), Perry Vale (1 mile south-east), Brockley (1 mile north-east), Crofton Park (1 mile north-east) and Dulwich (1 mile west). Further out, we also cover London (4 miles north-west), City of Westminster (6 miles north-west), Marylebone (6 miles north-west), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (6 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (6 miles north).
Landmarks near Forest Hill
We work in homes and buildings around Allenby Tutorial Trust, Capitol Cinema pub and Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich. The nearest railway station is Honor Oak Park station, about 0.5 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Greenwich Castle (3.1 miles north-east) and Horniman Museum and Gardens (0.5 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include One Tree Hill and Knight's Hill.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Forest Hill
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the addresses.
Before and after the survey
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Watch for slipped slates after bad weather
- Keep a record of damp patches and dates
- Check we can open the loft hatch
- Leave roof access to professionals
The recommendations are prioritised by urgency where relevant. Some things need prompt attention, others can be planned for. That helps you decide what to do first.
Keep the loft space ventilated. Condensation builds up when air cannot move, and it can wet timbers and insulation. Check insulation does not block the airflow at the eaves.