Greater London · London and the South East
Paddington Thermal Roof Survey
Find out what’s going on with the roof before you decide what to do next. Thermal roof surveys in Paddington, with photos and a clear written report.
- Stains that keep coming back
- Heat escaping through the roof
- Water that travels before it shows
What we do, step by step
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. All told, expect between one and two hours at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. In Paddington, as in much of London, plenty of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so rear slopes are viewed from windows, the loft or, where a flight is allowed, by drone. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents as you book.
- You let us know about the roof and any damp, leaks or cold rooms.
- We check the conditions and note how they may affect the images.
- We inspect the roof and take thermal images during the same visit.
- Moisture readings are used to check what the camera shows.
- The Premium report reaches you the same day, and we go through it with you in person.
Getting ready for the survey
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
Book a survey
To get a price for thermal roof surveys in Paddington, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us price the survey accurately.
Read more
Thermal roof survey in Paddington: what you get
A thermal survey is not a quick fix for every roof problem. Sun, shade, reflective surfaces and wind can all change what the camera shows. We back up the images with moisture readings and a careful look at the roof. The report is clear about what the images show and what they do not. If a finding cannot be confirmed, the report suggests a next step. Typical surveys look at gaps in loft insulation and damp around roof outlets and upstands, on loft conversions, pitched roof slopes and flat roofs.
London’s roofs are often hard to see from the street: butterfly roofs behind parapets, dormer tops and flat roofs over back additions. That is where a view from the air or a thermal camera helps, by showing what can’t be reached 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.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photograph. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Paddington (W2, W1H, W1U)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Parapets, valleys and junctions
Water often gets in where roofs meet walls, parapets or valley gutters. The camera can help show damp around these junctions.
Loft insulation
From inside the loft, thermal imaging can show gaps in insulation and cold spots. We look where there’s safe access.
Common questions in Paddington
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Paddington?
It depends on the street. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well.
Can you fly a drone over a roof in Paddington?
It depends on the exact address and the weather on the day. Paddington is about 1 mile from the edge of the flight restriction zone around London Heliport in Battersea. We check the exact boundary for the address before flying, and if the roof falls inside it, we ask for permission first. The restricted area over Hyde Park, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 1 mile from Paddington. If a roof falls inside it, we apply for permission before flying, and the flight only goes ahead if it is granted. 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. Each address is checked against all of them before the drone goes up. A small drone cannot fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Will thermal imaging find my leak?
It often helps show where to look. Water can travel under a covering before it shows inside, and temperature patterns can help follow it. It is used alongside a close inspection and moisture readings because the camera cannot confirm water on its own.
Are you insured?
Our cover is professional indemnity plus public liability, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
How long will you be at the property?
It usually takes about 1–2 hours at a typical home, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. You will then get the report by email, on the timescale of your package.
Is Paddington in your area?
Yes. We carry out thermal roof surveys in Paddington, and the service is the same as everywhere else we work.
Why get it checked now?
Once insulation under a membrane is wet, it tends to stay wet. Over time, it insulates less well and can harm the deck. Finding them early can mean a smaller job. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. Knowing what’s needed early gives you time to plan it calmly, rather than in a rush after a leak.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, which starts from £400, including VAT. We’ll tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Why book us in Paddington
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- An independent view of the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
Tips from our surveys
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Keep the report to compare against after any repair
- Don’t switch the heating off ahead of the visit
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Note where damp appears and after what weather
You can pass the report to a roofer so they can see where the problem areas seem to be. Because the images are paired with photos, it is easy to find each area on the roof.
Have small defects in the covering fixed early. Water that gets under a covering can spread a long way before it shows.
Flying and imaging in Paddington
Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. A drone or thermal camera adds most on the steep, tall and hidden parts of roofs like these. There are several hotels within about a mile and a half of Paddington, and like offices and blocks, hotels frequently sit under flat roofs. If you look after one, a large roof can be surveyed without guests having anyone working above them.
For a London address like Paddington, it helps to know about controlled parking before the day. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Harrods, large commercial roofs are often easiest to see from above or with a thermal imager.
Paddington is about 1 mile west of City of Westminster, in Greater London. We cover Paddington and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Greater London.
Surveys in W2, W1H and W1U are booked the same way as anywhere else. You will find streets like Harrow Road, Craven Road and Harbet Road, and we cover them all. With the A5 and A40 close by, Paddington is simple for us to get to for thermal roof surveys. We also cover Paddington Green (1 mile north-west), Hyde Park Estate (1 mile south-east), Connaught Village (1 mile south-east), Tyburn (1 mile south-east) and Little Venice (1 mile north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (4 miles east), Shoreditch (4 miles east), Walthamstow (8 miles north-east), Hoxton (4 miles east), Whitechapel (4 miles east) and Ruislip (11 miles west).
Local landmarks in Paddington
Around Paddington, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Royal Society of Medicine Library, Fountains Abbey pub and Royal Parks of London and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include North Westminster Community School (within half a mile north-east) and Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School (within half a mile east). Paddington has its own railway station: London Paddington station. Well-known places in the area include Harrods (1.3 miles south) and London Toy & Model Museum (0.5 miles south-west). For a walk, there’s Greville Place nature reserve and The Long Water.
Common roof problems in Paddington
Building owners and managing agents use thermal surveys to plan work on larger flat roofs. It can suggest which areas may be wet and which seem dry, so we know where to take moisture readings.
Here are some of the things we see frequently:
- Patches of heat loss across the roof
- Leaks far from where the stain appears
- Damp that repairs haven’t cured
- Water getting in at parapets and stacks
Winfield House lies about 1 mile north, so building around Paddington goes back a long way. For older roofs nearby, a look from the air or with a thermal camera is a hands-off way to check condition.
Questions to ask before you book
- What exactly goes into their report
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
When you need someone else
No survey can tell you everything, and we’d rather be clear about that before booking. Bear these in mind:
- Proving moisture from the images alone
- Whether the deck or roof structure is strong enough
- Insulation values or heat loss calculations
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Loft conversions
- Insulated roof spaces
- Flat roofs
- Commercial roofs
- Ceilings below the roof
- Pitched roof slopes