Greater London · London and the South East
Roof survey in Upminster, Greater London
Roof surveys in Upminster, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Torn or sagging underlay
- Debris building up in roof valleys
- Loose chimney pots
How a roof survey works in Upminster
Good roofs last decades, but their parts wear at different rates. Natural slate can last 100 years or more, and clay and concrete tiles commonly 50 years or more, yet nails, battens and underlay often fail first. We tell you which parts are ageing and which are sound. Knowing that helps you plan work before it becomes urgent. Typical surveys look at slates or tiles that have slipped or broken and leaking gutter joints and downpipes, across ridges, hips and valleys, natural slate and chimney stacks.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. From the street you see only a parapet wall, so blocked outlets and split linings go unnoticed until water comes through a ceiling. If your home in Upminster has one, it needs checking from somewhere that can actually see it.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put with the most urgent first where relevant.
- Where
- Upminster (RM14, RM11)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Upminster
Is my home in Upminster listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Upminster?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we’ll work around them.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access.
Do you look in the loft space?
Where it is relevant to the survey and there is safe access, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We look at the roof, not the whole building, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
What we do, step by step
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. The whole visit normally takes roughly 1–2 hours for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. In Upminster, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is often by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- You let us know about the property and any concerns.
- We agree a date, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- 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.
- You receive a written report with photos and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know about parking near the property
Getting a price
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Advice
Also near Upminster
Also in Upminster
Should I look at the roof myself first?
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
A lot can be seen 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.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Planned work is less stressful than an emergency. A survey lets you deal with things in order of urgency, rather than calling someone out after a storm. Any roof job in Upminster means planning around parking, neighbours and access. Knowing what’s needed early gives you time to plan it calmly.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Why book with us
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- An independent view of the roof
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Upminster
If the drone is used for your survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. Outer London has plenty of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Homes near green spaces such as St. Andrew's Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn. If you look after a building such as Upminster Junior School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Laurence, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Upminster is about 2 miles east of Hornchurch, in Greater London. Roofs in Upminster get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. Upminster is one of the places in Greater London where we work. We also survey roofs in London.
We cover every part of the RM14 and RM11 postcode area for roof surveys. Local streets include Station Road, Latham Place and Deyncourt Gardens, and we cover them all. Nearby, we also carry out roof surveys in Upminster Bridge (1 mile west), Cranham (1 mile east), Emerson Park (1 mile north-west), Hornchurch (2 miles west) and Puddle Dock (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Shoreditch (14 miles west), Walthamstow (12 miles west), Hoxton (15 miles west), Whitechapel (14 miles west), Orpington (14 miles south-west) and Highbury (15 miles west).
Landmarks near Upminster
We work in homes and buildings around Eastbrook School, St. Andrew's Park and The Crumpled Horn pub and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Upminster itself: Upminster station. A little further out are Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (0.5 miles north) and The Mercury Mall (3.2 miles north-west). The countryside around Upminster includes Cranham Marsh.
When you need someone else
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Walls, floors and services below the roof
- How the roof will behave in every kind of weather
- Confirmation of asbestos in soffits or cement sheets
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat roofs
- Lead flashings
- The roof space
- Natural slate
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay plain and peg tiles
Clay tiles are common on older South East homes. When pegs or battens rot, tiles slip, leaving gaps along the courses.
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes. Worn or split lead lets water straight in.
Tips that help
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Photograph stains when they appear
- Check the roof from the ground after storms
- Hold on to the report for future surveys
- Include dormers, porches and garages when you book
Your report arrives by email, with photos of what we found. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Findings are explained in plain words.
After a storm, check the roof from the garden and the street. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles or pieces in the garden are signs something has moved. Getting small faults fixed quickly keeps water out.