West Sussex · London and the South East
Earnley Flat Roof Survey
Surveys of flat roofs on homes, extensions and commercial buildings in Earnley, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Dips that suggest the deck is deflecting
- Edge trims that have lifted or split
- Blocked or damaged outlets
Flat roof survey in Earnley
Buying a home with a flat-roofed extension, dormer or garage? It’s useful to know that roof’s condition before you exchange. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, while EPDM and GRP often last longer. We set out the type of covering, its condition and the defects we found, with a photo of every defect. That gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. We survey GRP fibreglass, single-ply membranes and felt flat roofs, and people most often book us about edge trims that have lifted or split and ponding water that doesn’t drain away.
Somewhere as small as Earnley, flat roofs tend to be on extensions, garages and converted outbuildings. The checks are the same as anywhere: outlets, upstands, edges and the covering itself. The journey and access are planned beforehand. Garages and outbuildings are easy to forget, so mention any you want included as you book.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Place
- Earnley (PO20)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Leave it or get it looked at?
Standing water on a flat roof rarely sorts itself out. It usually points to an outlet, the falls or a sagging deck, and every wet spell adds to the wear. Knowing the cause early gives you more choice over what to do. For older village homes like those around Earnley, the right replacement materials are not always easy to find quickly. Spotting a problem early leaves room to find them.
For a price for your roof in Earnley, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Why book with us
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or two real surveys.
Common roof problems in Earnley
No flat roof covering lasts for ever. Felt roofs frequently last around 15 to 20 years, EPDM often 30 to 50 years and GRP up to about 30, although how well it was laid and looked after matters a great deal. A survey shows how yours is holding up, whatever its age.
We are often asked to look at:
- Leaks around rooflights
- Cracked or split membrane
- Dips that suggest the deck is deflecting
- Raised blisters across the surface
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as East Wittering Community Primary School, a large flat roof with plenty of outlets and rooflights has many places where a membrane can fail.
Before you book anyone
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
What affects the price in Earnley
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- How big the roof is
- Basic, Standard or Premium
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What we need to know
If you can, have these to hand when you contact us:
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- What’s prompted the survey
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- The kind of building and roof involved
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
How the survey works
Before we start, let us know why you’ve booked: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit typically takes between one and two hours for a small flat roof at home, and longer for a large commercial one. For a village or hamlet like Earnley, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You send us the address and, for commercial roofs, an idea of the roof’s size.
- Inside, we look for signs of water under the roof where we can reach.
- We view the roof from safe positions and never walk on fragile surfaces.
- Each defect is photographed and its likely cause noted.
- You get a report setting out the condition and our recommendations, in order of urgency.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
How to book
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or email us and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Different roofs, different checks
Felt and built-up roofs
A felt roof frequently lasts around 15 to 20 years, though quality and upkeep make a big difference. Our report sets out its condition and the areas most at risk.
Rooflights and upstands
Where a flat roof meets a wall, the upstand has to stay sealed as the building moves. We check for splits, gaps and loose flashings above the upstand.
Flat roof surveys in Earnley: local notes
Earnley lies within about 2 miles of the sea, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Coastal wind works at the edges of flat roofs, and salt air wears metal trims and fixings. If your home is older, it is worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. Changes that affect a listed building’s special interest need listed building consent, and councils can also use Article 4 directions to control changes in conservation areas.
If you live in an older home near Earnley Church, the joins between later flat roofs and the old walls are where problems normally start.
Earnley is about 3 miles north-west of Selsey, in West Sussex. We survey roofs in Earnley and the rest of West Sussex. Earnley is one of the places in West Sussex we cover. We also survey roofs in Portsmouth.
We work across the PO20 postcode area for flat roof surveys. Streets in the area include Earnley Manor Close, Bookers Lane and Drove Lane, all of which we cover. Nearby, we also carry out flat roof surveys in East Wittering (1 mile west), Almodington (1 mile north-east), Somerley (1 mile north), Shipton Green (2 miles north) and Birdham (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns like Bognor Regis (7 miles east), Chichester (6 miles north-east), Selsey (3 miles south-east), Littlehampton (14 miles east), Emsworth (7 miles north-west) and Rustington (15 miles east).
Around Earnley
Nearby you’ll also find Selsey Lifeboat Museum (3.9 miles south-east). Open spaces near Earnley include Pilsey Island.
Your questions about flat roof surveys in Earnley
Do you cover smaller places like Earnley?
Yes. Earnley is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Is the coastal weather around Earnley hard on roofs?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, while strong wind lifts anything already loose.
Do you check flat roofs for asbestos?
Asbestos testing is not part of our survey. Where a roof has materials that might contain asbestos, such as old cement sheeting, the report flags them and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor.
What does ponding on a flat roof mean?
Ponding is worth looking into. It can point to blocked outlets, poor falls or a deck that is sagging, and water that sits wears the covering sooner. We record where it sits and the likely cause.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Our survey isn’t a structural engineer’s report. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Does a flat roof survey replace a RICS survey?
No. Our survey covers the flat roof only. It is not a RICS Level 2 or 3 home survey or a structural engineer’s report. It often sits alongside a buyer’s building survey.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access as you book.
Towns and villages near Earnley
What else we do in Earnley
Tips from our surveys
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Check that new brackets or units haven’t damaged the covering
- Keep records of when the roof was laid and what work has been done
- Clear roof outlets and gutters each autumn
- Limit foot traffic on the covering
Buyers can take the findings back to the seller or the agent. It can support a request for work before completion or a conversation about price, depending on what we found.
Clear leaves and silt from outlets and gutters, above all in autumn. A flat roof that drains well wears much more slowly.