East Sussex · London and the South East
Drone roof survey in St Leonards, East Sussex
Not sure what state the roof is in? We carry out drone roof surveys in St Leonards and across East Sussex.
- Tired mortar and pots at the top of a stack
- Wind damage high on the roof
- Ridge and hip pieces working loose
What happens on the day
Where it’s relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey usually takes about one to two hours for most homes, with the pre-flight checks included, and longer for big commercial roofs. For a home in St Leonards, the main things we need are a way into the loft, a route to the back garden and somewhere to park. Someone needs to let us in, so tell us who that will be.
- You give us the address and tell us about the roof.
- We check the airspace and seek any permission needed.
- We assess the conditions and the take-off spot first.
- We fly the sub-250g drone close to the roof and photograph each area.
- You receive a written report with the photos and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Booking a survey
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.
Related advice
About our drone roof survey in St Leonards
Before any flight, we check the airspace. Near protected airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, flight restriction zones mean permission is needed first. Central London has restricted areas of its own, which need NATS permission. If permission is not given, we inspect by other means and explain why. Prisons have their own drone restriction zones too. We survey valleys and parapet gutters, chimney stacks and fragile roofs, and people most often book us about cracked flaunching or loose chimney pots and ridge and hip pieces working loose.
Older homes in a town like St Leonards may lose heat through roofs with little or no insulation. Thermal imaging can show where heat escapes, and it can also point to damp patches. What it shows is surface temperature, not water itself, so findings are checked with moisture readings. Results depend on the conditions, which is why the date is chosen with care.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- St Leonards (TN38, TN37, TN34)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in St Leonards
Photographing a roof from the air does not touch it. Nothing is cracked or dislodged by footsteps, so you see the roof exactly as it is. In a family home in St Leonards, a small roof fault lets water into places you can’t see, soaking loft insulation, wall tops and timbers. By the time it shows inside, the job has grown.
Prices start from £150, with VAT included, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in St Leonards
- An independent look at the roof
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
Places near St Leonards
What else we do in St Leonards
What affects the price in St Leonards
We confirm the price for your survey before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. You’ll know the figure before booking.
What to let us know when you get in touch
You don’t need to know any roofing terms. Just tell us:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- When you need the report by
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
When you are ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
What we can’t see
It’s a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. Its limits include:
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Neighbouring roofs the owner hasn’t asked us to survey
- The underside of the roof (that needs an inside check)
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Fragile roofs
- Large and complex roofs
- Flat roofs on upper floors
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Tall and steep roofs
- Chimney stacks
Should I look at the roof myself first?
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Let us know about any leaks or concerns
- Make sure the loft can be reached
- Share the postcode so we can check for restrictions
- Tell next door if the drone will be near their property
The Premium Survey report comes the same day. It includes the drone photos where a flight was possible, alongside the other checks in the package.
Check the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. The underside frequently shows problems before the outside does. Photograph anything new.
Drone roof surveys around St Leonards
St Leonards lies within about 1 mile of the sea, where wind off the sea can be strong. A small drone can’t fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, so the weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead. Our drone weighs under 250g, and we hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID. In the open category, flights stay below 120 m (400 ft) and within sight.
For businesses in and around places like Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, thermal images can show trapped moisture across a wide commercial roof. If you look after a building like St Leonard's Church of England Primary Academy, a view from above covers a wide roof far faster than walking it. Take an older house close to St John the Evangelist's Church: thin or patchy insulation under an old roof often shows up clearly on a thermal image.
St Leonards is about 1 mile south-west of Hastings, in East Sussex. St Leonards is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex, large and small. You can also see our page for Maidstone.
All of TN38, TN37 and TN34 is covered for drone roof surveys. You will find streets like Sea Road, Fern Road and Dane Road, and we cover them all. St Leonards sits on or near the A259 and A2102, which makes travel easy. If you’re just outside St Leonards, we cover Silverhill (1 mile north), Hastings (1 mile north-east), America Ground (1 mile east), Bulverhythe (1 mile west) and Hollington (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (13 miles south-west), Bexhill-on-Sea (4 miles west), Hailsham (13 miles west), Polegate (13 miles west), Old Town (14 miles south-west) and Heathfield (15 miles north-west). As one of the bigger places in East Sussex, St Leonards has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Local landmarks in St Leonards
In St Leonards, that means homes and buildings near University School, Horse And Groom Public House and Summerfields Wood. There’s a railway station in St Leonards itself: St Leonards Warrior Square station. Other landmarks nearby include Priory Meadow Shopping Centre (1.2 miles east) and Conquest Hospital (2.2 miles north). The countryside around St Leonards includes Church Wood and Robsack Wood and Senlac Hill.
FAQs for St Leonards
Is St Leonards in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in St Leonards?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
Can you fly a drone in central London?
In some places, only with permission. Restricted areas over Hyde Park, the City of London and the Isle of Dogs need NATS permission before a flight. We check each address first, and fall back on other viewpoints if we can’t fly.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
What insurance do you have?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
What happens after the survey?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. It is yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.