Kent · London and the South East
Roof survey in Otham, Kent
An experienced roof surveyor for roof surveys in Otham. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Leaking gutter joints and downpipes
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or broken
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
How a roof survey works in Otham
Roofs vary a lot across London and South East England. If your home is a Victorian terrace, it may have Welsh slate, a butterfly roof and parapet gutters, and many post-war homes have concrete interlocking tiles instead. Whatever yours has, the survey is adapted to it. Older tiled homes may have clay plain tiles, and many homes have a flat-roofed extension too. Each part is checked in the way that suits it. Typical surveys look at torn or sagging underlay and slates or tiles that have slipped or broken, across ridges, hips and valleys, natural slate and chimney stacks.
Houses in smaller places like Otham can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. Ridge tiles, verges, chimney stacks and flashings take the worst of it. A proper look shows whether anything has started to loosen before it lets water in. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible.
- Where
- Otham (ME15, ME17)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Signs you need a roof survey in Otham
Blocked gutters cause a surprising amount of damage. Once leaves and moss block a gutter, water spills down the brickwork. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the building.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Condensation or damp timbers in the loft
- Gaps in the roof where coverings have gone
- Ridge tiles that have lifted or moved
- Debris building up in roof valleys
For businesses in and around places such as The Mall Maidstone, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
What to check before booking
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Their insurance cover
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What experience they bring
Towns and villages near Otham
Other services in Otham
The survey, step by step
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes about 1–2 hours for an ordinary house roof, and longer if there are extensions, dormers or several chimneys. If you have questions on the day, just ask. Being in a smaller place like Otham does not change how the visit works: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. It is useful to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- You get in touch with the address and anything you’ve noticed.
- A visit is booked for a weekday or a weekend.
- We inspect from ground level, from windows, from the roof space and from the roof where safe.
- Every part of the roof is checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Booking a survey
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
How we price roof surveys
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The size of the roof
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The type of building and roof, like pitched or flat
Not sure which survey you need? It is easiest to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Why get it checked now?
Roof faults rarely stay the same size. One slipped slate lets water reach the battens and underlay, and damp timber slowly weakens. Finding it early keeps the work smaller. Homes in smaller places like Otham can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Wind gets under it and lifts more.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and the package you choose.
What you get with us
- PI and public liability insurance
- Plain-English reports with photos
- 98% of customers satisfied
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
See our cost guide or our case studies.
Otham: your questions answered
Is my home in Otham 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.
Will you come out to Otham?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Can you tell me how long my roof will last?
Not as a figure. We describe the condition of each part of the roof and how it’s wearing, with recommendations ranked by urgency.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Does someone need to be in?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day. Just say which days work for you.
When will the report arrive?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Each report includes photos.
Local roofs in Otham
Older houses across Kent frequently have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. About 0.6 miles north-east lies Stoneacre, a reminder of how long the area around Otham has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
For landlords with property near Bearsted station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. Take a building like Senacre Technology College: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Otham is about 2 miles south-east of Maidstone, in Kent. We survey roofs in Otham and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and South East England. Otham is one of the places in Kent where we work for roof surveys.
Surveys in ME15 and ME17 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We offer roof surveys to properties on Church Road, Spartall Drive and Ellis Field. We also cover Willington (1 mile north-west), Park Wood (1 mile south-west), Langley (1 mile south-east), Shepway (1 mile north-west) and Caring (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cover Ashford (15 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (10 miles north-east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (15 miles south-west), Gravesend (15 miles north-west), Tonbridge (13 miles west) and Faversham (15 miles east).
What’s near Otham
In Otham, that means homes and buildings near New Line Learning Academy, Senacre Wood Primary School and Mote Park, among other places. The closest station to Otham is Bearsted station, roughly 2.1 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Kent Fire Brigade Museum (2.4 miles west) and KIMS hospital (2.8 miles north). Open spaces near Otham include Detling Hill.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roof coverings
Felt flat roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber around 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
Concrete interlocking tiles
Many post-war houses have concrete interlocking tiles. They last well, but their surface erodes slowly, and they can crack.