East Sussex · London and the South East
Arlington Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Arlington, with a written report you can act on. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Common questions in Arlington
Do you cover smaller places like Arlington?
Yes, Arlington is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Is my home in Arlington listed or in a conservation area?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
The sooner after your offer is accepted, the better. You need the report before you exchange, because after that the roof is yours to deal with.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it is applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
How long does the survey visit take?
The visit usually takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. We’ll give you an idea of timing when booking.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We carry out surveys seven days a week. To find a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. You might ask for work to be done, ask questions or ask for a change to the price. What the seller agrees to is their decision.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Arlington: what you get
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Corroded nails let slates slide, valley linings wear thin and chimney mortar erodes. Most of it can’t be seen from the street. Our survey picks it out, with photos that show you exactly where. We explain each finding in plain English, so you know what it means for the house you’re buying. We survey clay and concrete tiles, lead flashings and valleys and the roof space, and people most frequently book us about chimney mortar that has eroded and signs of past leaks inside the loft.
Older buildings in small places like Arlington may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you are buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- Arlington (BN26)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we cannot see
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll point you to the right survey before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Arlington
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Natural slate
- The roof space
Before and after the survey
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Tell us your exchange date as you book
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
After you move in, keep the report somewhere safe. Deal with the urgent items first, and use the photos as a record of how the roof looked when you bought. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.
Nearby places to Arlington
Also in Arlington
Local roofs and buyers in Arlington
Historic houses such as Michelham Priory, about 1.5 miles north-east, show how far back building in the area around Arlington goes. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
The streets around a church like The Parish Church of St Pancras are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Arlington is about 3 miles south-west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. We survey roofs in Arlington and the rest of East Sussex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Arlington is one of the places in East Sussex where we work. There’s also a page for Brighton.
Here we cover the BN26 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Wickstreet (1 mile north), Berwick (1 mile west), Wilmington (2 miles south), Selmeston (2 miles west) and Milton Street (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (6 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (12 miles east), Seaford (6 miles south-west), Lewes (8 miles west), Hailsham (3 miles north-east) and Crowborough (14 miles north).
Landmarks near Arlington
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Yew Tree Inn. Arlington’s nearest station is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 1.2 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Agricultural Museum (2 miles south) and Hellingly Hospital Railway (4.1 miles north-east). Open spaces near Arlington include Combe Hill.
What happens on the day
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will take it from there. The survey itself takes an hour or two for most houses, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Somewhere as small as Arlington, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Read more
What you can safely check yourself
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
Why act early in Arlington
A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey. Its job is to check the property’s value for the mortgage, not at the condition of each slate and flashing. Our survey is done for you. Older and listed buildings around Arlington may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
All our prices include VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Why book us in Arlington
- 20+ years’ experience
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- An independent look at the roof
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and our case studies.
What we are asked to look at in Arlington
A chimney stack stands out in the wind and rain. Pointing crumbles, flaunching cracks and flashings lift. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which can affect how any work is arranged.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Worn or lifted lead flashings
- Old water stains in the roof space
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
For landlords with property near Berwick (Sussex) station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Questions to ask before you book
- What happens after the report arrives
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Is VAT included in the price?