Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Roof survey in Watford, Hertfordshire
A roof condition survey for homes and buildings in Watford, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Ridge tiles that have lifted or moved
- Cracked or blistered flat roof coverings
- Worn or blocked valleys
Roof survey in Watford: what you get
Across London and South East England, roofs differ widely. 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. Every part gets the attention it needs. If you are worried about water stains on rafters and ceiling joists and slates or tiles that have slipped or broken, we can find out what’s behind it, on the roof space, ridges, hips and valleys and flat roofs alike.
Trees in streets, gardens and parks drop leaves into gutters across places like Watford, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the building. It is one reason a roof is worth looking at as a whole, not just the obvious problem. Late autumn, once the leaves are down, is a sensible time to check gutters and outlets.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Watford (WD25, WD19, WD18, WD17)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Places near Watford
More services for Watford
Common questions in Watford
Do you cover Watford?
Yes, Watford is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos.
I let a flat near Watford Junction station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. Just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the building.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there’s safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging.
Does the weather affect the survey?
A survey can usually go ahead in light rain. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions are not right we will arrange another day with you.
Can you check whether my roof contains asbestos?
No. Asbestos testing is not part of our service. Where materials might contain it, we say so in the report so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check before any work.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Can you look at a roof that’s joined to next door?
Yes, we inspect your part of the roof. We can only look at neighbouring roofs as far as access allows. Shared stacks and upstands are looked at from your property.
Do you need a roof survey in Watford?
Slates and tiles often outlast the fixings that hold them. On slate roofs, corroded nails let slates slip, which is known as ‘nail fatigue’. On tiled roofs, the battens or pegs may be what’s gone, letting tiles move.
We’re frequently asked to look at:
- Torn or sagging underlay
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or broken
- Ponding, splits or blisters on flat roofs
- Crumbling chimney pointing or cracked flaunching
If you let a flat or house near Watford Junction station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Is VAT included in the price?
- How soon the report will arrive
- What happens after the report arrives
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
What a roof survey does not cover
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- A structural engineer’s report
- The condition of the rest of the building (that is a RICS home survey)
- Confirmation of asbestos in soffits or cement sheets
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Ridges, hips and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flat roofs
- Natural slate
What we look for on each type of roof
Natural slate
Slate is one of the most durable roof coverings, but its nails often corrode first. Slipped, cracked and missing slates are all noted, and for clips that show past repairs.
Chimney stacks
Our chimney check is a visual inspection of the stack, and it is not a flue or gas safety check. We will tell you if the flue needs a specialist.
Roof surveys around Watford
High Elms Manor, about 2.6 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Watford. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Watford St John's Church of England Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Charter Place, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
Watford is about 17 miles north-west of London, in Hertfordshire. Watford is one of many places we visit across Hertfordshire. Watford is one of the places in Hertfordshire where we work for roof surveys. We also survey roofs in London.
We work across WD25, WD19, WD18 and WD17 for roof surveys and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Station Road, Church Road and The Parade High Street and the roads around them. Main roads around Watford include the A41 and A405, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around Watford: North Watford (1 mile north-east), Meriden (1 mile north-east), Oxhey (2 miles south-east), Garston (2 miles north) and Watford Heath (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Hemel Hempstead (7 miles north-west), St Albans (7 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (13 miles north-east), Harpenden (11 miles north), Cheshunt (15 miles east) and Hatfield (10 miles north-east). Being one of Hertfordshire’s larger places, Watford has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
What’s near Watford
In Watford, that means homes and buildings near The Watford UTC, Cassiobury Park and The Estcourt Arms and the streets around them. Watford has its own railway station: Watford Junction station. A little further out are Hilfield Castle (2.8 miles east) and Charter Place (0.5 miles south). Open spaces near Watford include Harrow Weald Common.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Watford
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
The survey, step by step
The visit has one job: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit typically takes between one and two hours for most homes, depending on how many separate roofs there are. For a property in Watford, it helps to know where we can park. On the day, we look at the roof from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You pick the package that suits your roof.
- We arrive at the agreed time and talk through any concerns.
- Coverings, ridges, hips, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, a structural check, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- The report is emailed with findings and recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Getting a price
To get a price for roof surveys in Watford, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us price the survey accurately.