01Specialist reports
Bat surveys for London roofs, lofts and extensions
Bats roost in the loft of a quiet Victorian terrace as readily as in a barn, and all bats and their roosts are protected. If your scheme opens, re-roofs or demolishes, a survey tells the council and you what is there. From £545, fixed before we start.
From £545
- MCIAT chartered architectural technologists
- £2m professional indemnity insurance
- LABC Partnered
- ICO registered
Our fee for bat survey: from £545, no VAT to add. Covered in full, with its own guide and fee, at propertyarchitecture.co.uk.
02The fee
One fixed fee, published
What you get
- A desk study of records near your site and an inspection of the roof and loft
- A written finding: no evidence, evidence of use, or a need for further surveys
- Where needed, emergence and re-entry surveys carried out in the right season
- Advice on how the design and the building programme avoid harm
- The report in the form a council expects, ready to go with your application
The fee covers the inspection and report; further surveys that the finding calls for are quoted in writing. A mitigation licence, if needed, is a separate step. Our fee carries no VAT to add.
03How it runs
From roof inspection to a clear programme
Records
A survey is needed where distribution and historical records suggest bats may be present. Source: gov.uk
04Specialist reports
Why a roof job can stop for a survey
A survey is needed where distribution and historical records suggest that bats may be present, or where nearby buildings, trees or water could support them. Disturbing bats deliberately, or damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place, is an offence, and the second offence does not need any intent.
On a summary conviction the penalty can include up to six months in prison or a fine. That is why a council will not decide an application that touches a roof until it is confident that harm is avoided, and why a loft conversion without a survey can be held for months.
05Specialist reports
Surveys must be in season
Surveys must be carried out in the most recent appropriate season, which is why a visit in the wrong month cannot be used. If an inspection finds evidence, the finding is usually that emergence or re-entry surveys are needed, and those can only be done when bats are active.
We tell you at the first call what the calendar means for your scheme. Booking early avoids the worst outcome: a design finished in winter that must wait for spring before it can be submitted. Our planning drawings and loft conversion drawings can run in parallel with the survey.
06Specialist reports
When a licence is needed
If a roost will be affected, the council must be confident that Natural England will issue a licence before it can grant permission. The developer may need a bat mitigation licence, and the guidance names three routes: an individual licence for a European protected species, a Natural England class licence and the Bat Earned Recognition scheme.
For most householder works the finding is better news: no sign of use, and the work goes ahead with a short note on how to proceed if a bat is found. We say plainly which case you are in before you pay for more.
07The record
Figures that shape the job
Records
A survey is needed where distribution and historical records suggest bats may be present.
Source: GOV.UK, Bats: surveys and mitigation for development projects, checked 25 Oct 2026
Season
Surveys must be carried out in the most recent appropriate season.
Source: GOV.UK, Bats: surveys and mitigation for development projects, checked 25 Oct 2026
Licence
Before granting permission the council must be confident that Natural England will issue a licence if one is needed.
Source: GOV.UK, Bats: surveys and mitigation for development projects, checked 25 Oct 2026
3 routes
A mitigation licence, the class licence and the Bat Earned Recognition scheme are the licensing routes named.
Source: GOV.UK, Bats: surveys and mitigation for development projects, checked 25 Oct 2026
Reg 43(1)(d)
Damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place of a European protected species is an offence.
Source: Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, regulation 43, checked 25 Oct 2026
6 months
Greatest prison term on summary conviction for these offences, or a fine, or both.
Source: Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, regulation 43(8), checked 25 Oct 2026
08Questions
What clients ask before they instruct us
Do I need a bat survey for a loft conversion?
Often, yes, particularly for an older roof with gaps at the eaves or under slates. A council will say on its local list, and we check before we quote.
When can the survey be done?
An inspection can be done at any time; emergence and re-entry surveys only in the active season. We set out the dates for your scheme at the first call.
What does a survey cost?
From £545 for the inspection and report, with no VAT to add. Any further survey is quoted before you commit.
What if bats are found?
Work to the roost stops, and a licence and a method are agreed before it resumes. We explain the options and cost, and often the design can avoid the roost.
Is it the same as a tree survey?
No, though trees can hold bat roosts too. See our tree survey for root zones and protection.
09Related
Related services and guides
Send us the address of your house.
We look up the conservation area, listing and Article 4 position, then reply with a fixed fee. A message before 3pm is answered the same working day.