Greater London · London and the South East
Thermal Roof Survey in Ilford
Thermal roof surveys around Ilford, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Ceilings that feel colder in places
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
- Moisture around outlets and upstands
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from each safe vantage point, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It usually takes between one and two hours at most homes, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. In a London area like Ilford, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. On the day, the roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from inside the roof space and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You tell us about the roof and any damp, leaks or cold rooms.
- We check the conditions and note how they may affect the images.
- A full inspection and thermal imaging are carried out together.
- We back up the thermal patterns with moisture readings.
- The Premium report reaches you the same day, and we go through it with you in person.
Before we arrive
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Booking a survey
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us a few details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
How a thermal roof survey works in Ilford
We present each thermal image next to a normal photo of the same area, so it’s easy to see which part of the roof each one shows. We explain what each pattern may mean, what the moisture readings found and what we recommend. Premium reports are sent the same day. If you have questions, the in-person consultation gives you time to go through them. A follow-up 12 months later is included too. If you’ve noticed ceilings that feel colder in places and damp that repairs haven’t cured, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
London’s roofs are often hard to see from the street: butterfly roofs behind parapets, dormer tops and flat roofs over back additions. Drone photos and thermal images can show parts of a roof that are hard to reach safely. The weather decides the day: both drones and thermal cameras need the right conditions. What a thermal image shows is temperature, so anything that looks like moisture is checked with a meter.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Ilford (IG1, IG3, IG2, E12)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Drones, thermal imaging and Ilford roofs
Historic houses such as Valentines Mansion, about 0.9 miles north-west, show how far back building in the area around Ilford goes. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Ilford has a number of hotels within about a mile and a half, and hotels, like offices and blocks of flats, often have flat roofs. For hotels and other commercial buildings, large roofs are where aerial photos and thermal images show the most at once.
If you run a hotel or guest house in or near Ilford, a roof problem can mean rooms out of use, so it is worth knowing the roof’s condition. Take an older house close to St Alban's Church: steep roofs, tall chimneys and hidden valleys can be hard to see from the ground, and that is where a view from above or with a thermal imager helps.
Ilford is about 4 miles east of Leyton, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Ilford and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. Across Greater London, we cover Ilford and the places around it. You can also see our page for London.
Thermal roof surveys in IG1, IG3, IG2 and E12 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Local streets include Station Road, Axon Place and Hainault Street, all of which we cover. Being close to the A118, Ilford is easy for us to reach. We also cover the places around Ilford: Cranbrook (1 mile north-west), Loxford (1 mile south), Seven Kings (1 mile north-east), Manor Park (1 mile south-west) and Little Ilford (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (8 miles south-west), City of Westminster (10 miles west), Marylebone (10 miles west), Kensington (13 miles west), St Pancras (9 miles west) and Shoreditch (7 miles west).
What’s near Ilford
Around Ilford, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Great Spoon of Ilford pub, The Ursuline Academy Ilford and South Park. Ilford has its own railway station: Ilford station. Other landmarks nearby include Gallions Reach Shopping Park (3.5 miles south) and Redbridge Museum (within half a mile south-west). Green spaces nearby include Hollow Pond and Ripple Nature Reserve.
Questions from Ilford
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Ilford?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Ilford is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London City Airport. The exact boundary is checked for each address before any flight, and a roof inside it needs permission before we fly. Across London there are restriction zones around Heathrow, London City and London Heliport, plus restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs. Every London address is checked against them before a flight. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Ilford?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
What does the report include?
It explains what we saw, what it means and what we’d suggest, with photographs throughout. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
How quickly is the report sent?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. All of them come by email.
How does a thermal imaging roof survey work?
A thermal camera shows differences in surface temperature. The patterns can suggest wet insulation, gaps in insulation or heat escaping. Findings are checked with moisture readings.
Are you insured?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Is thermal imaging useful on pitched roofs?
On pitched roofs, the camera can point to heat loss and some damp patterns. Our report is clear about what can be read from them, and we check them with a visual inspection and moisture readings.
What this survey cannot tell you
It is a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Confirming water without moisture readings
- Hidden layers that need to be opened up to check
- Readings unaffected by sun, shade or reflections
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Ilford
- Pitched roof slopes
- Commercial roofs
- Ceilings below the roof
- Insulated roof spaces
- Flat roofs
- Loft conversions
Nearby places to Ilford
Also in Ilford
Why it’s worth a survey now in Ilford
Buyers get extra information from thermal images that the eye can miss. Finding hidden moisture before exchange gives you facts to raise with the seller. In Ilford, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: a blocked parapet gutter or slipped slate can let water into the flat below or the house next door. Finding it early keeps the work smaller.
All our prices include VAT. Prices start from £400, including VAT. We confirm the price for your survey before booking.
Why book with us
- Photos and a written report every time
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
Signs you need a thermal roof survey in Ilford
Buyers sometimes want more than a visual look at the roof. A Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, a drone inspection where it applies and a same-day report, which suits a purchase that’s moving quickly.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Moisture around outlets and upstands
- Areas of a flat roof that may hold water
- Damp around chimneys and parapets
- Gaps in loft insulation
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Gallions Reach Shopping Park, a commercial roof can be photographed from above without anyone walking on it.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- When you’ll get the report
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
What we look for on each type of roof
Parapets, valleys and junctions
Parapet and valley gutters can overflow inside a building. We use the camera and moisture readings to help follow it.
GRP fibreglass roofs
Water under a GRP roof can reach the timber deck. Thermal imaging can suggest where that may be happening.