West Sussex · London and the South East
Gutter Survey in Chichester
Know where you stand with the gutter before you spend money on it. We carry out gutter surveys in Chichester.
- Rotten fascias or stained soffits
- Water backing up from a hidden gutter
- Leaks at the gutter joints
Gutter surveys for homes and businesses in Chichester
Gutters have to slope gently towards the outlet or water sits in them. Sagging brackets and slipped joints leave water standing and overflowing where the gutter dips. We look along each run for sags, gaps and leaking joints and look at the brackets and downpipe clips. Recommendations are written down and prioritised by urgency where relevant. We survey parapet and box gutters, outlets and hoppers and valley gutters, and the problems we are asked to look at most are sagging gutters and loose brackets and fascia boards damaged by overflowing water.
In a town like Chichester, older houses with slate or clay tile roofs typically sit alongside later estates with concrete tiles. Chimneys on older houses may be redundant, capped or leaning, and their lead flashings still need to be sound. Newer homes have fewer chimneys but their own weak points at ridges, verges and gutters.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photos show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Chichester (PO19, PO20, PO18, PO10)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Chichester
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Chichester?
Yes, coastal weather is harder on roofs: there’s more wind, and more salt in the air. Exposed details such as ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch, and Chichester is within about 5 miles of the coast.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Chichester station?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We check 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 it applies. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
What’s the price of a gutter survey?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The price depends on the size of the building and how easy the gutters are to see. For a price, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We’re roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it does not include calculations. We’ll recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Before and after the survey
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Our tips:
- Do not climb a ladder to look in the gutters
- Watch the gutters during heavy rain
- Keep climbers away from the eaves
- Don’t leave hidden gutters out of a clear-out
Where the evidence points to drains below ground, the report says so, so you can arrange a drain survey. Anything else we notice on the roof, as far as we can see it, is noted too.
Have overhanging branches and climbing plants cut back from the roof by someone who can do it safely. Less debris means fewer blocked outlets.
What we’re asked to look at in Chichester
A good many tiled and slate roofs carry moss, and heavy rain washes clumps of it into the gutters. With grit from the coverings, it forms a thick sludge that holds water in the gutter and gives plants somewhere to grow.
People normally book a survey after spotting one of these:
- Valley or box gutters that overflow inside
- Downpipes that are split or coming away
- Sagging gutters and loose brackets
- Choked outlets or hopper heads
Landlords with a home close to Chichester station may find that a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Questions to ask before you book
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- What happens after the report arrives
- Their insurance cover
Also near Chichester
Other services in Chichester
What happens if roof problems are left?
A written report gives you a dated record of the gutters’ condition, which helps when you plan work or brief a contractor. Without one, it’s guesswork from the ground. A defect spotted early can be planned and budgeted for, whereas a leak tends to force the timing on you.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
Why book with us
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- An independent look at the roof
- A written report with photos
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.
What a gutter survey looks like in Chichester
Chichester lies within about 5 miles of the sea, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Paul, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you look after a building like Lancastrian Infant School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Chichester is about 27 miles east of Southampton, in West Sussex. Chichester gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful look at whatever is safely visible, photographs and a clear written report. Our West Sussex coverage includes Chichester. For surveys nearby, see our Portsmouth page.
Postcode districts we cover here for gutter surveys: PO19, PO20, PO18 and PO10. If you need a gutter survey at a property on St Martin's Square, Market Road and Old Market Avenue or a nearby road, we can survey it. Being close to the A27 and A259, Chichester is easy for us to reach for gutter surveys. Close by, we survey roofs in Portfield (1 mile east), Westhampnett (1 mile north-east), Shopwyke (2 miles east), Maudlin (2 miles north-east) and East Lavant (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Bognor Regis (5 miles south-east), Selsey (7 miles south), Littlehampton (11 miles east), Emsworth (7 miles west), Rustington (12 miles east) and Storrington (15 miles east). As one of the bigger places in West Sussex, Chichester has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
Local landmarks in Chichester
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Chichester High School For Girls, George and Dragon Inn and Central C of E Junior School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Chichester station, roughly 0.6 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find Novium Museum (less than half a mile south) and Chichester Castle (less than half a mile east). Not far away are Stoke Down and Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve.
What we look for on each type of roof
Fascias and soffits
Some older soffits may contain asbestos. We flag any that could be so a specialist asbestos surveyor can check them before they’re disturbed.
Cast iron gutters
Cast iron gutters and downpipes are found on many older buildings. Kept painted, they can last a long time, but rust where the paint fails.
The survey, step by step
The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the gutter as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Parking in a town like Chichester is typically simple, but tell us if there’s a driveway or any restrictions. We look at the roof from the ground and from windows, then from the loft where there’s safe access.
- We start by hearing about any drips, overflows or damp patches.
- We look along the gutters, downpipes and fascias from the ground and from windows.
- We check hidden gutters, such as valleys and parapets, where it’s safe to see them.
- The roof space is checked for water marks if it is safe to get into.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
How to book
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You will know the price before anything is booked.