Frequently Asked Questions About Roofing in Streatham
Content last reviewed: October 2026.
The questions below cover what Streatham customers ask us most often.
How quickly can you attend a roofing job in Streatham?
We aim to carry out an on site assessment within two working days for standard repairs across Streatham and the rest of SW16. For storm damage or an active leak we offer emergency callout and try to attend the same day. Streatham is a core part of our South London round, worked alongside Tooting, Balham and Norbury, so it is planned for rather than treated as an outlying area. Once we have inspected the roof we confirm a schedule for any follow up work, so you know when the job will be finished.
Which parts of Streatham and SW16 do you cover?
We cover every street in Streatham and the full SW16 postcode, from the Queen Anne villas of Telford Park and the large houses near Leigham Court Road and Streatham Common to the shop and flat parades along Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill, and the plainer 1930s semis of Streatham Vale and Pollards Hill. We also cover Tooting in SW17, Balham in SW12 and Norbury nearby in SW16, so a job near a postcode boundary is not a problem. Our roofers travel out to SW16 for every job, we do not subcontract Streatham work to a third party roofer working under our name.
Why is my Telford Park villa roof leaking?
Telford Park's houses were laid out between 1878 and 1882 by the architect E.J. Tarver, who deliberately made sure no two houses on the estate were identical, so each roof has its own mix of steep gables, dormer windows, decorative ridge tiles and tall patterned chimney stacks, with the occasional corner turret. A leak usually starts at one of the junctions between these features, a dormer cheek, a valley where a gable meets the main roof, or the lead around a turret, and the water then tracks along the timbers before it shows on a ceiling. This is why we survey the whole roof rather than just the room under the stain before quoting.
How much do roof repairs cost in Streatham?
As a general guide, minor repairs such as a slipped slate or single ridge tile typically run £150 to £350, emergency temporary weatherproofing from £200, hip and ridge re-bedding £350 to £900 or more per run, dormer or turret lead renewal £650 to £1,800 or more, and a flat roof renewal above a High Road shop or flat £1,200 to £3,500 or more depending on size. Flat roof or chimney repairs elsewhere run £400 to £1,500 or more, and a full pitched roof replacement around £260 to £290 per square metre plus scaffolding. See our cost guide table above. Telford Park villas with turrets and multiple gables are quoted only after a full survey, because the number of junctions changes the figure significantly.
Do you repair flat roofs above the shops on Streatham High Road?
Yes. Much of Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill is three and four storey Victorian and Edwardian parades with shops at street level and flats above, each with its own flat roof behind a parapet, usually old felt or asphalt that has perished or split. We renew these in GRP, EPDM or single-ply membrane, clear and reline the parapet gutters that often overflow onto the shopfront below, and phase the work around trading hours since access is usually from a rear yard or through the flat above. The Grade II listed former Odeon and the other Art Deco buildings nearer Streatham Vale bring similar flat roof decks behind stepped parapets.
Do you work in Streatham's conservation areas?
Yes. Streatham has several conservation areas, including Telford Park, Leigham Court Road North and South, Streatham Common, Streatham Park and Garrads Road, Streatham Lodge and Sunnyhill Road. On those streets we work to like-for-like repair: matched natural slate rather than concrete tile, ridge tiles, bargeboards and chimney detailing kept to the original profile, and cast iron rainwater goods repaired rather than replaced with plastic. Where a change needs consent we prepare the scope so it can go to the London Borough of Lambeth before work starts.
How does your quoting process work?
We carry out a free, no obligation inspection before providing a quote. On a Streatham Vale semi that is a short visit; on a Telford Park villa it means checking every gable, dormer, turret and chimney, because that is where the faults are. Once you accept the quote we schedule the work and confirm a date. There is no call out charge for the initial inspection visit anywhere within SW16, whether the job is a single slipped slate or a full flat roof renewal above a shop. We give you a realistic idea of timing at the point of quoting rather than leaving you to chase for a start date.
What happens once I book a roofing job in Streatham?
Once you accept a quote we agree a date and confirm what access is needed. On the High Road parades that often means access from a rear yard or through the flat above the shop; on the villa streets it can mean a scaffold with a licence and a controlled-parking bay suspension from Lambeth Council, which we arrange before we start. Our roofer carries out the agreed work and, on a repair, matches the new slate, lead and mortar to what is already on the roof. Once finished you receive a written summary of what was done and any maintenance advice.
Who is responsible for a shared chimney stack between two houses in Telford Park?
Many of the Telford Park villas share a chimney stack across the party wall, in keeping with the semi-detached pairs E.J. Tarver designed. Responsibility for a shared stack is usually split between the two owners, or set out in the title deeds, and the flashings on each side serve that side's roof. How it is split differs from house to house and we cannot confirm it without seeing the deeds. We identify exactly which flashings and which part of the stack the fault sits in during the inspection, which is useful if a conversation with a neighbour is needed. Where the repair means working on the shared structure itself, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Can you repair decorative ridge tiles and dormer leadwork on a Queen Anne house?
Yes, this is one of the most common jobs we do in Telford Park. The decorative ridge tiles and finials on these roofs slip or crack with age, and the lead around dormer cheeks, turret roofs and the valleys where a gable meets the main slope fatigues at the laps and joints. We re-bed or replace ridge tiles to match, and re-dress or renew the lead to the correct code rather than patching with mastic, keeping the original profile since the estate is a conservation area. We check the full roof during the same visit, because on a house with this many junctions the fault is often away from where the stain shows.
Do you remove spray foam roof insulation in Streatham?
Yes. It turns up in loft conversions on the Victorian and Edwardian terraces near Leigham Court Road and Streatham Common, and in flats converted from the rooms above the High Road shops, and in both cases it tends to stall a sale or a remortgage because surveyors and lenders record sprayed foam as a defect. We hand strip open-cell and closed-cell foam off the rafters and slate backs, lift out any felt and battens that come away with it, and leave the roof space open for a surveyor to inspect, with a written record for the lender. If the foam has fused to the back of the slate we quote the re-slate alongside the strip-out so it is one scaffold and one visit.
Do I need planning permission for roof work in Streatham?
Most like for like repairs do not need planning permission. Work that changes the roofline, adds rooflights or dormers to a front-facing slope, sits within a conservation area such as Telford Park or Leigham Court Road, or alters a listed building such as the former Odeon, is more likely to need consent, and on a flat above a shop you will usually also need the freeholder's permission regardless of planning. We flag anything that may need consent during the inspection so you can check with the London Borough of Lambeth before proceeding, rather than assuming a straightforward repair and finding out otherwise once the job has started.
Do you work with managing agents and residents' management companies in Streatham?
Yes. Between the purpose built mansion blocks on Streatham Hill, the converted villas split into flats near Leigham Court Road and Streatham Common, and the mixed use parades along Streatham High Road, a lot of our SW16 work is communal. We write the specification and costings so they carry a Section 20 leaseholder consultation, produce condition reports and reserve-fund figures for forward planning, and will attend a directors' or residents' meeting. Flat roof renewal, parapet work and rolling maintenance on communal roofs are routine for us across the borough.
Can roof repairs be carried out without scaffolding in Streatham?
Isolated slate or ridge repairs on a semi or a terrace can often be done from a roof ladder or a tower. Turret, dormer, gable valley and shared-stack work on the Telford Park villas, and most flat roof renewals above the High Road shops, need a scaffold for safe access. On Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill, as part of the A23, that also means a scaffold licence and a controlled-parking bay suspension from Lambeth Council and Transport for London, which we arrange before we start. We plan the scaffold to be up for the shortest time possible and check rear access and neighbour agreements where it has to bridge two properties.
Do you offer a roof survey before buying a Streatham property or converting a loft?
Yes. We inspect roofs for buyers before exchange and for owners scoping a loft conversion who need to know what the existing roof is like before the drawings are done. On a Telford Park villa the survey covers the gables, dormers, turret lead, chimney stacks and any signs of water ingress; on a High Road flat it covers the flat roof deck, the parapet gutters and the flashings to neighbouring properties. A written report follows, which is useful evidence for a buyer negotiating or for an architect planning the roofing element of a conversion.