Greater London · London and the South East
Thermal imaging roof survey in Smithfield, Greater London
Thermal imaging to find moisture and heat loss patterns in a roof in Smithfield, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Areas of a flat roof that may hold water
- Cold areas below the roof
- Leaks that are hard to trace
Your questions about thermal roof surveys in Smithfield
How do I find out if my home in Smithfield is listed?
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.
Are there drone restrictions around Smithfield?
That depends on where the roof is and on the weather. The restricted area over the City of London, where drone flights need permission from NATS, is about 1 mile from Smithfield. If a roof falls inside it, we apply for permission before flying, and the flight only goes ahead if it’s 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. The flight also waits for calm, dry weather, though the rest of the survey goes ahead either way.
Can a thermal camera see water?
The camera does not see water itself. Because wet insulation holds heat for longer, it can show as a different temperature, and moisture readings are used to check it.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first, with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it when booking and we’ll explain what’s needed.
Does someone need to be in?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that in advance, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
Thermal roof survey in Smithfield: what you get
Thermal imaging is frequently most useful on flat roofs, from small extensions to large commercial roofs. Patterns can suggest where water is trapped under the covering. Pitched roofs with slates or tiles are often harder to read, because of the air space beneath, so we also look from the loft where we can reach it safely. If you’ve noticed water that travels before it shows and missing or slipped insulation, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
London airspace is busy and tightly controlled: restriction zones surround Heathrow, London City Airport and London Heliport, and Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs have restricted areas of their own. Every address in Smithfield is checked before any drone flight, and where permission is needed, the flight waits for it.
We write the report in plain English, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photographs show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Place
- Smithfield (EC1V, EC1P, EC1R)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near Smithfield
Also in Smithfield
Thermal roof surveys around Smithfield
Within a mile and a half or so of Smithfield there are several hotels, and hotels, like offices and blocks of flats, often have flat roofs. If you look after one, a large roof can be surveyed without guests having anyone working above them. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces frequently have Welsh slate roofs. 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. Steep or complicated roofs are frequently hard to see from the ground, which is where close-up aerial shots and thermal images help.
For an older house near a landmark such as St Bartholomew-the-Less, older roofs can be steep and hard to see from the street, which is where close-up aerial shots and thermal images help. Dr Johnson's House, about 0.3 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Smithfield. Close-up aerial shots and thermal images let an old roof be checked without anyone disturbing it. If you look after a building such as Charterhouse Square School, big roofs are where photos from the air and thermal images show the most at once.
Smithfield is about 1 mile north of London, in Greater London. We carry out thermal roof surveys for homes and businesses in Smithfield. Smithfield is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work for thermal roof surveys.
Here we cover the EC1V, EC1P and EC1R postcode area for thermal roof surveys. We cover properties on Oat Lane, Shoe Lane and Long Lane and the roads around them. With the A1 and A4 close by, Smithfield is easy for us to reach. If you are just outside Smithfield, we cover Farringdon (1 mile north), Blackfriars (1 mile south), Holborn (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile south-west) and Clerkenwell (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (4 miles south).
Landmarks near Smithfield
We work in homes and buildings around London Nautical School, Barts Health Archives and St Alban's Church of England Primary School and the streets around them. Nearby too are St Mary-at-Hill (1 mile south-east), Oriole pub (under half a mile south-west) and Postman's Park (within half a mile south-east). There’s a railway station in Smithfield itself: Farringdon station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (under half a mile south) and Postal Museum (within half a mile south-east). Open spaces near Smithfield include Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
What we do, step by step
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof, but as a rough guide the survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, including the thermal images, and around 3–4 hours for a commercial roof. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is frequently from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that’s the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Otherwise, the visit in Smithfield runs like any other.
- We start by discussing the roof, any signs of damp and how the weather may affect the images.
- We carry out a visual inspection of the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We take thermal images of the roof to pick up temperature patterns.
- Areas that look unusual on the camera are checked with moisture readings where possible.
- We write up the thermal images alongside ordinary photos and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Getting a price
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
Practical tips
Getting the most from a thermal roof survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Talk to us about the weather when booking
- Keep a record of when stains appear
- Clear leaves from outlets and gutters each autumn
- Photograph damp patches with the date
You also get an in-person consultation with a Premium Survey, giving you the chance to talk through the images and findings. There is a 12-month follow-up too.
Have small defects in the covering fixed early. Water that gets under a covering can spread a long way before it shows.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Before replacing a large flat roof, it helps to know how much of it is actually wet. Thermal imaging, checked with moisture readings, gives a clearer picture before you commit. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. That’s a good reason to find problems early, while there’s time to plan.
Our price is from £400, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we’ll tell you which fits.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Smithfield
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- Over 20 years’ experience
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
What a thermal roof survey does not cover
Before booking, it is worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Confirming water without moisture readings
- Whether the deck or roof structure is strong enough
- What’s inside walls or under coverings, without opening up
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Ceilings below the roof
- Pitched roof slopes
- Loft conversions
- Commercial roofs
- Flat roofs
- Insulated roof spaces
How the survey changes by roof type
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 inspect the loft where it can be reached safely.
DIY checks: what’s safe
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.