West Sussex · London and the South East
Drone Roof Survey in Kilnwood Vale
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Kilnwood Vale, with photos and a written report.
- Slates or tiles shifted by high winds
- Moss and weeds taking hold up top
- Blistered or cracked flat roof coverings
Drone roof surveys for homes and businesses in Kilnwood Vale
Neighbours’ privacy matters on every flight. We keep the camera on the roof we are surveying, not on gardens or windows next door. If your roof is shared, a word with next door beforehand helps. We inspect only what the owner has asked us to. Each flight is kept short and stays focused on the roof we’re there to survey. We survey valleys and parapet gutters, large and complex roofs and tall and steep roofs, and common reasons people get in touch are flashings that have come away and moss and weeds taking hold up top.
In a small place like Kilnwood Vale, open ground can mean strong wind. A small drone can’t fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best with little wind. The visit is planned around the forecast, along with the journey and access. If the day turns windy or wet, the visit can be moved.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photo where possible, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Location
- Kilnwood Vale (RH12, RH11)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
Questions from Kilnwood Vale
Is my home in Kilnwood Vale listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Will you come out to Kilnwood Vale?
Yes. Kilnwood Vale is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys run on any day of the week. To arrange a date, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
Does the weather affect a drone survey?
The flight waits for better weather. A small drone cannot fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, so we’d move the date with you.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and visible signs like sagging are noted, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Does someone need to be in?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
For landlords and managing agents
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
How the survey works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a photo-illustrated written report, emailed to you. As for time on site, it typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. Older roofs in small places like Kilnwood Vale can have low, tight loft spaces, so it helps to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it’s safe.
- First, we check whether a drone is the right tool.
- A date is fixed, with a fallback in case the weather turns.
- We fly over the roof, keeping the camera on the property we’re surveying.
- Where there is safe access, we check the loft as well.
- Everything is written up, with the aerial photos and our advice.
Getting ready for the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
Drone roof survey starts from £400, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or email us to find out.
Related advice
What a drone roof survey does not cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- A structural engineer’s report
- Neighbouring roofs the owner hasn’t asked us to survey
- A flight on a day when the weather isn’t safe
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Kilnwood Vale
- Tall and steep roofs
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Large and complex roofs
- Chimney stacks
- Fragile roofs
What we are asked to look at in Kilnwood Vale
Parapet gutters, box gutters and central valleys sit out of sight. Leaves, silt and plant growth build up unseen, until it causes a leak inside. A drone shows them clearly from above.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Chimney tops in poor condition
- Moss and weeds taking hold up top
- Gaps where slates or tiles have gone
- Blistered or cracked flat roof coverings
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near County Mall, big, flat commercial roofs are where close-up aerial shots and thermal images help most.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- What exactly goes into their report
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Which limits apply to the survey
Useful tips for Kilnwood Vale property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Clear the loft hatch so we can check inside too
- Clear a spot on the drive or lawn
- Keep pets indoors during the flight
- Tell next door if the drone will be near their property
If you need work done, roofers can work from the photos. The photos show the location and extent of every problem.
Keep the roof space ventilated. Condensation in the loft can damage timbers and insulation, and it’s something only an inside check will show. Keep insulation clear of the eaves.
Airspace, weather and Kilnwood Vale roofs
Kilnwood Vale is about 2 miles from the edge of the flight restriction zone around Gatwick Airport. We check the exact boundary for the address before flying, and if the roof falls inside it, we ask for permission first. The drone we use is under 250g, flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID. Flights in the open category stay under 120 m (400 ft), with the drone kept in sight.
Anyone responsible for a site like The Bewbush Academy will know that a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit. For an older house near a landmark such as St Francis' Church, tall stacks and steep slopes are easier to judge with close-up aerial photos than from the pavement.
Kilnwood Vale is about 1 mile south-west of Bewbush, in West Sussex. From houses to flats and shops in Kilnwood Vale, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Kilnwood Vale is one of the towns and villages in West Sussex we cover for drone roof surveys.
Surveys in RH12 and RH11 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Turnpike Lane, Crusades Road and Rookfield Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Kilnwood Vale sits on or near the A264, so getting to you is simple. Nearby, we also carry out drone roof surveys in Faygate (1 mile west), Colgate (1 mile south), Broadfield (2 miles east), Roffey (3 miles south-west) and Handcross (3 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Crawley (3 miles east), Horsham (4 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (9 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (11 miles south-east), East Grinstead (10 miles east) and Storrington (15 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Kilnwood Vale
In Kilnwood Vale, that means homes and buildings near Target Hill Park, Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School and Cottesmore School and the streets around them. Kilnwood Vale’s nearest station is Faygate station, roughly 0.9 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include County Mall (2.7 miles north-east) and Crawley Museum (2.7 miles north-east). Not far away are Warnham LNR and Tilgate Lake.