East Sussex · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in Five Ash Down, East Sussex
Close-up drone photographs of roofs that are hard to reach in Five Ash Down. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Ridge and hip pieces working loose
- Cracked slates and tiles out of sight from below
- Wind damage high on the roof
Practical tips
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Keep dogs indoors during the visit
- Allow time for permission if you are in a flight restriction zone
- A word with neighbours beforehand helps
- Be ready to move the date if the weather turns
File the report and photos with your home documents. They’re a useful baseline for future surveys, and they help if you sell.
Have high or hard-to-reach roofs surveyed every few years. Comparing surveys shows what is wearing, so small faults are dealt with early.
About our drone roof survey in Five Ash Down
We carry out drone roof surveys in Five Ash Down and across London and the South East, where the airspace and the weather allow. We fly seven days a week. Every address is checked for airspace restrictions first. You get a written report with close-up photos and recommendations. To check whether your roof suits a drone survey, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Typical surveys look at ridge pieces that have lifted and tired mortar and pots at the top of a stack, across chimney stacks, flat roofs on upper floors and large and complex roofs.
Older buildings in small places like Five Ash Down may be listed or in a conservation area. Neither a drone survey nor a thermal survey involves any work on the roof, so it’s a gentle way to see the condition of an old roof. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent, so check with the council first.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Five Ash Down (TN22)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The size of the roof
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
Getting in touch
If you can, have these to hand when you get in touch:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Different roofs, different checks
Ridges and hips
Loose ridge pieces can be lifted in a storm. Spotting them early stops them falling.
Flat roofs on tall buildings
The flat roof on top of a block is rarely looked at. From above, standing water, splits and tired upstands are clear.
Also near Five Ash Down
What else we do in Five Ash Down
What a drone roof survey does not cover
In fairness, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Flying in a flight restriction zone without the airport’s permission
- Photos in conditions too poor to fly
- Anything inside the loft or under the coverings
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will suggest the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Tall and steep roofs
- Large and complex roofs
- Fragile roofs
- Chimney stacks
What a drone roof survey looks like in Five Ash Down
Before any flight, we check the Drone Safety Map for airspace restrictions, including zones around airports and prisons. What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. The council is the place to check, along with Historic England’s list, ideally before any re-roofing is planned.
If you live in an older home near Five Ash Down Independent Chapel, steep roofs, tall chimneys and hidden valleys can be hard to see from ground level, and that is where a view from the air or with a thermal camera helps.
Five Ash Down is about 2 miles north of Uckfield, in East Sussex. If you are in Five Ash Down, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Across East Sussex, we cover Five Ash Down. You can also see our page for Crawley.
We work across TN22 for drone roof surveys and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Ashengate Way, Flaxen Fields and Olives Pit Lane or a nearby road, we can survey it. If you’re just outside Five Ash Down, we cover High Hurstwood (1 mile north-east), Fairwarp (1 mile north), Sweethaws (3 miles north-east), Crowborough (4 miles north-east) and Jarvis Brook (5 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Seaford (15 miles south), Lewes (10 miles south-west), Hailsham (11 miles south-east), Newhaven (14 miles south), Peacehaven (15 miles south) and Telscombe (15 miles south).
Near you in Five Ash Down
We work in homes and buildings around Uckfield College. For rail, the closest station is Buxted station, about 1.2 miles south-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Tickerage Castle (2.8 miles south-east) and Uckfield Community Hospital (2.4 miles south). The countryside around Five Ash Down includes Brickfield Meadow.
Your questions about drone roof surveys in Five Ash Down
Do you cover smaller places like Five Ash Down?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Is my home in Five Ash Down listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We survey on any day from Monday to Sunday, during the day. Let us know your preferred days when you book.
Will the drone show what’s under the tiles?
No. It photographs the outside, not the inside. The loft space is checked separately, where there is safe access.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
What we do, step by step
Photographs are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. Most surveys take about one to two hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. Somewhere like Five Ash Down needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect what can be seen safely, inside and out.
- You give us the address so we can check the airspace.
- We arrange any permission that’s needed before we fly.
- Before the flight, we check the conditions and the take-off spot.
- The sub-250g drone takes close-up photographs of the roof, kept in sight throughout.
- We email a written report with the photos and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Keep pets in another room
Booking a survey
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or send us an email whenever suits you.
Related advice
Common roof problems in Five Ash Down
Parapet gutters, box gutters and central valleys sit out of sight. Leaves, silt and plant growth build up unseen, until water overflows inside. From above, they’re easy to see.
Look out for signs like these:
- Ponding and splits on a high flat roof
- Ridge pieces that have lifted
- Coverings that have slipped high up on the roof
- Storm damage on steep or tall roofs
Anyone responsible for a site like Buxted CofE Primary School will know that thermal images can show where wet insulation sits under a big flat roof.
Questions to ask before you book
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What experience they bring
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance