Medway · London and the South East
Roof survey in Rochester, Medway
Know where you stand with the roof before you decide what to do next. We carry out roof surveys in Rochester.
- Standing water on a flat roof
- Slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles
- Flashings that have come away from the wall
Common questions in Rochester
Is drone flying allowed in Rochester?
Typically it comes down to two things: the airspace at the address and the weather. Rochester is about 3 miles from Rochester Airport, so the Drone Safety Map is checked for restrictions around it before we fly. Strong wind or a downpour also stops a small drone flying.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Rochester?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it usually shows, and Rochester is within about 3 miles of the coast.
What does a roof survey include?
Every part of the roof we can safely see: coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys, gutters and the loft. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check, and Premium adds thermal imaging and a drone where it applies.
Can you inspect a terraced or semi-detached roof?
Yes. 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.
What insurance do you have?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability.
Do you work in Rochester?
Yes. We cover Rochester and the rest of Medway. To book, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so the freeholder or managing agent needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
How a roof survey works in Rochester
Most houses have more than one roof to look at. 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, looking for ponding, splits, blisters and worn upstands. Flat roofs often need attention long before the main roof. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, while EPDM rubber can last 30 to 50. Typical surveys look at condensation or damp timbers in the loft and loose ridge or hip tiles, across chimney stacks, the roof space and ridges, hips and valleys.
Semis and terraces in a town like Rochester share roof details with the neighbours. A shared chimney stack or a gutter run across two houses means a defect may sit partly on someone else’s property. Shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen safely from the property we’re surveying. It helps to mention any shared stacks or gutters when booking.
The report records the roof as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Rochester (ME2, ME1, ME3, ME4)
- Region
- Medway
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Rochester
More services for Rochester
What affects the cost of roof surveys
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- Roof area
A Basic Survey starts from £150, including VAT. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both including VAT. You will know the exact price before booking.
Booking your survey
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll explain the options and the price.
What we do, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take an hour or two for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Most visits in a town like Rochester start at the front of the house and work round to the back. The back garden is frequently where extensions, dormers and rear slopes are best seen, so unlocked gates help. The loft comes next, where there is safe access.
- You pick the package that suits your roof.
- 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.
- The report is emailed with findings and recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- Find any records of previous roof work
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Read more
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Hold on to the report for future surveys
- Do not climb onto the roof yourself
- Look for debris in the garden after high winds
- Include dormers, porches and garages as you book
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.
Plan a roof survey every few years, or sooner after severe weather. Regular checks catch problems while they’re small. Compare each report with the last.
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Rochester
Leaving it means relying on what you can see from the ground. You might pay for work that doesn’t fix the real problem, or to a real problem being missed. We tell you what’s really needed. Around Rochester, water from a roof defect often goes unseen for a while, such as the loft insulation, the top of a wall or the roof timbers. By the time it shows inside, the job has grown.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
What you get with us
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Roof surveys around Rochester
Rochester lies within about 3 miles of the sea, where wind off the sea can be strong. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, so the weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead. Rochester Airport is about 3 miles from Rochester. If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
With Restoration House about 0.4 miles south-east, the area around Rochester has a long history. On a period home nearby, the survey separates sound original work from tired later repairs. Shop and office owners around Pentagon Shopping Centre may find that a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Nicholas, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Rochester is about 27 miles east of London, in Medway. Bookings from Rochester are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Our area takes in places right across Medway, large and small. Maidstone is in our area too.
Every address in ME2, ME1, ME3 and ME4 is within our area for roof surveys. We cover properties on High Street, Gundolph Square and Station Road. With the A2 and A226 close by, Rochester is easy for us to reach for roof surveys. We also cover the places around Rochester: Strood (1 mile west), Borstal (1 mile south-west), Cuxton (2 miles south-west), Lower Bush (3 miles west) and North Halling (3 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Gillingham (4 miles east), Chatham (3 miles south-east), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (5 miles south-east), Lordswood (4 miles south-east) and Twydall (4 miles east). As one of the bigger places in Medway, Rochester has every kind of building, from houses and flats to offices.
Around Rochester
In Rochester, that means homes and buildings near Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf, Fort Pitt Grammar School and Broomhill Park. Other local landmarks include Temple School (1.2 miles north) and Royal Crown Hotel (less than half a mile east). There’s a railway station in Rochester itself: Rochester station. Well-known places in the area include Rochester Castle (under half a mile east) and Huguenot Museum (within half a mile east). Green spaces nearby include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
When you need someone else
Every survey has limits, and it’s better to know them up front. Keep these in mind:
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
- Walls, floors and services below the roof
- How the roof will behave in every kind of weather
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll point you to the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Flat roofs
- Lead flashings