Kent · London and the South East
Electronic Leak Detection in Highstead
We take a careful look at the flat roof membrane at your property in Highstead, with photos and a written report.
- New membranes needing a check before handover
- Leaks through a flat roof with no obvious cause
- Holes left by work on the roof
Electronic leak detection in Highstead
Green roofs, ballasted roofs and roofs under paving are harder to test. The layers on top can limit the methods we can use, and some may need lifting. We’ll discuss it with you when we quote. Any details of the build-up help because they show what’s under the surface. If testing is not possible, we will say so. Typical surveys look at new membranes needing a check before handover and stains far from any visible defect, on commercial flat roofs, green roofs and roof terraces and balconies.
In a village or hamlet like Highstead, flat roofs are usually on extensions, garages, outbuildings or barn conversions. The checks are the same as anywhere: the covering, the edges, the upstands and where water drains away. The journey and access are planned beforehand. If there are outbuildings or garages with flat roofs, mention them when booking.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, each with a short note and a photo. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- Highstead (CT3, CT6)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- Quoted for your roof
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Highstead
New membranes can have defects from installation. ELD on a new roof can show holes before they cause leaks.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed one of these:
- A flat roof leak that cannot be traced
- Failed seams and laps
- Leaks under green or ballasted roofs
- New roofs to check before paving or planting
Anyone responsible for a site like Reculver Church of England Primary School will know that large flat roofs, common on schools and other public buildings, need their outlets, upstands and coverings checked regularly.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Are they insured for the work?
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
Different roofs, different checks
Green and ballasted roofs
Testing before planting or ballast goes on is simpler.
Single-ply membranes
Many offices and units have single-ply roofs. Seams and penetrations are typical breach points.
What a survey costs
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- House, block, shop or office
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Roof area
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before you book.
What to let us know when you contact us
There’s no need for technical words. It is enough to let us know:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Anything about access we should know
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to look at the flat roof membrane as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It normally takes longer on a large roof than a small one, and the build-up of the roof makes a difference too. Cottages and farmhouses around Highstead often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We agree the area to be tested.
- We get the roof ready for testing.
- Testing runs across the agreed area.
- Each breach found is located and recorded.
- You receive the results to pass to your roofer.
Before we arrive
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Tips from our surveys
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Use boards when working on the roof
- Stay off the flat roof unless needed
- Consider ELD before paving or planting goes on
- Keep a note of leaks after rain
Once repairs are made, the roof can be tested again if you want to check them if the build-up allows.
ELD before paving, ballast or planting goes on is worth considering. Finding breaches is simpler at that stage.
Also near Highstead
More services for Highstead
Highstead questions
Do you cover smaller places like Highstead?
We do. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Highstead?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to.
How does ELD work?
A sound membrane blocks the test current, so wherever there’s a hole, it passes through. That lets us find breaches that are too small to see.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Does ELD include fixing the breach?
No, the test finds the breaches and your roofer repairs them. The report gives your roofer the locations.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only if it’s safe. We look at everything that can safely be seen: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the roof space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where applicable. Anything we cannot see is noted in the report.
Local flat roofs in Highstead
The coast is about 2 miles or less from Highstead, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt in the air is hard on metal flashings and fixings, and wind catches any loose edge on a flat roof. 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.
Landlords with a home close to Herne Bay station may find that flat roofs on let property tend to be checked only when they fail, which is the costly way round. Take an older house close to Church of St Mary the Virgin: any flat roof added at the back or on a dormer is likely to be far younger, and less durable, than the main roof.
Highstead is about 2 miles south-east of Herne Bay, in Kent. We provide electronic leak detection for homes and businesses in Highstead. Our area takes in places right across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Canterbury.
We survey roofs across the CT3 and CT6 postcode area for electronic leak detection. Close by, we survey roofs in Hawthorn (1 mile north), Boyden Gate (1 mile south-east), Millbank (1 mile south-west), Old Tree (1 mile south) and Hillborough (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Canterbury (7 miles south-west), Margate (9 miles east), Ramsgate (10 miles east), Broadstairs (11 miles east), Whitstable (6 miles west) and Deal (13 miles south-east).
Around Highstead
In Highstead, that means homes and buildings near Bishopstone Cliffs and Hog & Donkey pub. Highstead’s nearest station is Herne Bay station, about 2.7 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Whitstable and Tankerton Hospital (5.6 miles west). Open spaces near Highstead include West Blean and Thornden Woods.
What this survey can’t tell you
It is useful to know what a survey won’t do before booking:
- Water entering through details rather than the membrane
- Sections we cannot safely access
- Some conductive membranes
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
What we check
- Green roofs
- Single-ply roofs
- Commercial flat roofs
- Flat roof membranes
- Liquid-applied waterproofing
- Roof terraces and balconies