Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Landlord roof survey in Downend, Isle of Wight
Find out the condition of the let or shared roof at your property in Downend from an independent roof surveyor. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
- Leaks into upper flats
- Failed flashings at walls and chimneys
Landlord roof survey in Downend
Roofs on let houses and blocks of flats are easy to forget until something leaks. Surveying the roof first helps you spot defects early, and plan work rather than react to it. You get a written report with photos to keep on file for the building. Many clients repeat the survey on a rolling basis to keep maintenance plans current. If you’ve noticed loose ridge or hip tiles and blocked gutters over flats, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a small place like Downend, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
What you get is a clear record of the let or shared roof on the day we saw it. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Downend (PO30)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Downend: your questions answered
I let a flat near Smallbrook Junction station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Is the coastal weather around Downend hard on roofs?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Exposed details like ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch, and Downend is within about 5 miles of the coast.
Will you inspect a roof that several owners share?
Yes, we survey shared roofs often. Where a neighbouring roof isn’t part of the access, we can only see it from vantage points and we’ll say so.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
How long does the survey take?
That depends on the size and shape of the roof, but most surveys take an hour or two for a house, and longer for a block or a building with several roofs. The written report follows by email.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we’re allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Downend
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Downend. To discuss a property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
When to book a survey in Downend
Landlords need to plan spending on a building. Without a recent survey, it is hard to know what the roof needs or when.
It’s worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Choked outlets and gutters
- Worn ridges, hips and verges
- Damaged party-wall upstands or parapets
- Cracked or leaning shared chimneys
For an older house near a landmark like St. George's Church, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Questions to ask before you book
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Which limits apply to the survey
How it works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, most surveys take between one and two hours for a house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Older rural homes like those around Downend can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- We agree which roofs and which parts of the building are included.
- We confirm which flats and loft spaces we need to get into, and you arrange access.
- Each roof is checked as far as it can be seen safely, including from inside where possible.
- Every defect we find is photographed and given a priority where relevant.
- The report sets out condition and recommendations to help you plan.
Before the survey
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
How to book
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Pitched roofs on houses and blocks
Ridges, hips and verges take a lot of weather and get close attention.
Shared chimney stacks
Chimneys often let water in at the flashings. We note what we can see.
Tips from our surveys
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They apply to most roofs:
- Act on high-priority defects quickly
- File each roof report for future reference
- Book gutter clearing at least once a year
- Get legal advice on lease responsibilities
Questions about the findings are welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and Premium includes an in-person consultation.
Regular roof checks beat waiting for a leak. Many landlords and agents survey their roofs on a rolling basis with gutters cleared every year.
DIY checks: what’s safe
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What else we do in Downend
Landlord roof surveys around Downend
Downend is within about 5 miles of the coast, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. A number of the island’s villages keep thatched roofs on older buildings, and the whole island is open to sea air and wind. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Anyone responsible for a site like Medina College will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you let a flat or house near Smallbrook Junction station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Downend is about 2 miles east of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Downend can all book landlord roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. Downend is one of the towns and villages in the Isle of Wight where we work. There is also a page for Portsmouth.
Here we cover the PO30 postcode area for landlord roof surveys. Streets in the area include Briddlesford Road and Long Lane, and we cover them all. Other places close to Downend include Arreton (1 mile south), Merstone (2 miles south), Blackwater (2 miles south-west), Shide (2 miles west) and Newchurch (2 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns like Ryde (4 miles north-east), Cowes (5 miles north-west), Sandown (4 miles south-east), Shanklin (5 miles south-east), Ventnor (7 miles south) and East Cowes (5 miles north). Harder-to-reach addresses take a little more planning, so please mention your location when you ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Around Downend
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The White Lion pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Smallbrook Junction station, roughly 4.3 miles east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Carisbrooke Castle (3 miles west) and Whitecroft Hospital (2.7 miles south-west). The countryside around Downend includes Brading Down and Briddlesford Nature Reserve.