Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Cowes Gutter Survey
A careful look at the gutter at your property in Cowes, and put it all in a report with photos.
- Joints that drip after rain
- Leaves and moss blocking gutters
- Choked outlets or hopper heads
Gutter surveys for homes and businesses in Cowes
Some gutters are easy to see from the street but lots of gutters are tucked away. Valley, parapet, box and secret gutters can send water indoors when they overflow. We inspect them as far as it is safe to see them, from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where it is safe. Many leaks indoors start at a hidden gutter. Common reasons to book are choked outlets or hopper heads and sagging gutters and loose brackets, on parapet and box gutters, downpipes and eaves gutters.
Semis and terraces in a town like Cowes share roof details with the neighbours. When a stack or gutter is shared, the problem may not be on your side alone. Shared parts are looked at as far as they can be seen safely from the property we are surveying. It helps to mention any shared stacks or gutters when you book.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Cowes (PO31)
- Region
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Cowes
We survey roofs for landlords and letting agents as well as householders. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the gutter, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the addresses.
Tips from our surveys
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Look for new stains on ceilings below valleys after rain
- Watch the gutters during heavy rain
- Look for downpipes coming loose
- Get trees that overhang the gutters trimmed
You receive a written report with photos and clear written recommendations. You can pass it to whoever you choose to do the work so they can see exactly what’s needed.
Deal with drips, sags and loose downpipes early. They tend to get worse and spilled water harms brickwork and woodwork.
Gutter surveys around Cowes
Cowes is within about 2 miles of the coast, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. With Osborne House about 1.7 miles east, Cowes sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
Take a building like Cowes Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St. Faith's Church, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Cowes is about 8 miles south-west of Gosport, in the Isle of Wight. We carry out gutter surveys for homes and businesses in Cowes. Across the Isle of Wight, we cover Cowes and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Portsmouth page.
Surveys in PO31 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer gutter surveys to properties on Church Road, Market Hill and High Street and the roads around them. You will find Cowes on the A3020 and B3320, so it is easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for gutter surveys include Gurnard (1 mile west), Northwood (1 mile south), Rew Street (1 mile south-west), Noke Common (3 miles south) and Parkhurst (3 miles south). Larger places within reach include Newport (4 miles south), Ryde (7 miles east), Sandown (10 miles south-east), Shanklin (10 miles south-east), Ventnor (12 miles south) and Oakfield (7 miles east). Cowes is one of the larger places we cover in the Isle of Wight. If you are somewhere remote, a little more planning is needed, so mention it when booking.
Local landmarks in Cowes
We work in homes and buildings around The Painters Arms, Isle of Wight Studio School and Cowes Enterprise College, among other places. Well-known places in the area include Isle of Wight Natural History Centre (0.5 miles south-west) and West Cowes Castle (0.7 miles north). The countryside around Cowes includes Briddlesford Nature Reserve and Mill Hill.
What affects the price in Cowes
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The roof’s overall size
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Booking your survey
The more you let us know, the easier it is to price the survey. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- What’s prompted the survey
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Towns and villages near Cowes
More services for Cowes
How it works
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 roughly 1–2 hours for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Parking in a town like Cowes is usually simple, but tell us if there’s a driveway or any restrictions. We check the roof from the ground and from windows, then from the loft where there is safe access.
- We agree which parts of the building you are most worried about.
- Each gutter run is checked for blockages, sags and leaking joints.
- Outlets, hoppers, downpipes and overflows are inspected.
- We check fascias, soffits and walls for water damage.
- Findings are photographed and set out in a written report.
Before the survey
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Booking a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Cowes: your questions answered
Do you cover Cowes?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Cowes as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
How do I find out if my home in Cowes is listed?
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.
What does the report include?
It explains what we saw, what it means and what we’d suggest, backed by photos. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, so you know exactly what was covered.
Will you check if gutters are causing damp inside?
Leaking gutters and downpipes are a common cause of damp walls, and we check for exactly that. If the cause looks like something else, the report says so as far as we can tell from what’s visible.
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.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it’s safe. Safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed.
Roof by roof
Aluminium and other metal gutters
Metal gutters are common on commercial buildings and some homes. Their joints and outlets still need checking.
Lead-lined valley and parapet gutters
A London butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter, and a blockage there can overflow inside. It is inspected as far as safe access allows.
What we cannot see
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Confirming asbestos in older rainwater goods
- Parts of gutters that can’t be seen safely
- What’s behind fascias and inside walls
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Valley gutters
- Downpipes
- Fascias and soffits
- Outlets and hoppers
- Eaves gutters
- Parapet and box gutters