Greater London · London and the South East
Thermal imaging roof survey in Shoreditch, Greater London
An experienced roof surveyor for thermal roof surveys in Shoreditch. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Missing or slipped insulation
- Patches of heat loss across the roof
- Water getting in at parapets and stacks
Thermal roof surveys for homes and businesses in Shoreditch
Thermal imaging is part of our Premium Survey, which starts from £400. It also includes a drone inspection where applicable, a structural analysis and a same-day report. An in-person consultation and a 12-month follow-up are included too. You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a note of what you’ve noticed. For big commercial roofs, we quote on size and access. Typical surveys look at damp patches with no obvious cause and cold spots on ceilings under the roof, across flat roofs, insulated roof spaces and ceilings below the roof.
Many London roofs are hidden from the pavement: 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. Thermal images show surface temperature, not water itself, so findings are checked with moisture readings.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly.
- Place
- Shoreditch (E1, E2, N1)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Drones, thermal imaging and Shoreditch roofs
There are several hotels within about a mile and a half of Shoreditch, and like offices and blocks, hotels often sit under flat roofs. For hotels and other commercial buildings, large roofs are where close-up aerial shots and thermal images show the most at once. Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Where a roof is steep, tall or hard to see from ground level, drone photos and thermal images add detail.
Controlled parking zones are common in London, so mention any permit rules for Shoreditch. For an older house near a landmark such as St Leonard's Church, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Shoreditch is about 2 miles north of London, in Greater London. Shoreditch is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages.
Thermal roof surveys in E1, E2 and N1 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on New Road, Moor Lane and City Road and the roads around them. Shoreditch sits on or near the A1 and A10, so getting to you is simple. Close by, we survey roofs in Haggerston (1 mile north), Hoxton (1 mile north-west), St Luke's (1 mile west), Spitalfields (1 mile south) and Finsbury (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (3 miles west), Marylebone (3 miles west), Kensington (6 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (5 miles north-west) and Ruislip (15 miles west). Being one of Greater London’s larger places, Shoreditch has every kind of building, from houses and flats to offices.
What’s near Shoreditch
We work in homes and buildings around The Prince's School of Traditional Arts, Hackney University Technical College and Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives and the streets around them. You will also find Artillery Ground (0.5 miles south-west), Former London Apprentice pub (within half a mile north-west) and St Mary-at-Hill (1.1 miles south). Shoreditch has its own railway station: Shoreditch High Street station. Well-known places in the area include Tower of London (1.2 miles south) and Gabriel's Wharf (1.8 miles south-west). Not far away are Tower Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
Shoreditch: your questions answered
Are there drone restrictions around Shoreditch?
The answer turns on the exact location and the conditions on the day. Shoreditch is about 1 mile from the restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS. 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. 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.
Is my home in Shoreditch listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only if it’s safe. We check everything that can be seen safely: from ground level, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it’s safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs such as sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
How soon will I get the report?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. All of them come by email, ready to forward.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
Roof by roof
Felt and asphalt flat roofs
On felt and asphalt flat roofs, wet insulation can show as a temperature difference across the surface. Moisture readings are used to check them.
Pitched slate and tile roofs
Slate and tile roofs are frequently harder to read with a thermal camera, because of the air space beneath. We back up what the camera shows with a look in the loft where we can.
Also near Shoreditch
What else we do in Shoreditch
How it works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take about one to two hours at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so a visit in Shoreditch moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Tell us who holds the keys.
- 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.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or email us and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Advice
When you need someone else
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Proving moisture from the images alone
- Insulation values or heat loss calculations
- Clear results when the conditions on the day are poor
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Flat roofs
- Loft conversions
- Ceilings below the roof
- Insulated roof spaces
- Commercial roofs
- Pitched roof slopes
Do you need a thermal roof survey in Shoreditch?
People often book a thermal survey when a damp patch has no obvious cause. Water can travel under a roof covering or along timbers before it shows inside. The camera helps narrow the search.
People typically book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Gaps in loft insulation
- Areas of a flat roof that may hold water
- Patches of heat loss across the roof
- Leaks that are hard to trace
If you run a hotel or guest house in or near Shoreditch, a roof problem can mean rooms out of use, so it pays to find faults before guests do.
Before booking anyone
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
Should I look at the roof myself first?
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 and it will help the survey.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Thermal images can suggest the extent of wet areas without cutting into the roof. That helps you and your roofer decide what really needs replacing. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. By the time a ceiling stains, the timbers underneath may have been wet for a while.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Thermal roof survey starts from £400, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Shoreditch
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Every finding written up with photos
- An independent look at the roof