West Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Colgate
A careful look at the roof at your property in Colgate, and put it all in a written report with photographs.
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
Roof by roof
Natural slate
Natural slate can last 100 years or more, yet the nails that fix it often give out first. When slates start to slip, corroded nails are often the reason, and we note how widespread it looks.
Lead flashings and valleys
Many older houses have lead in their valleys and hidden gutters. Splits in a lead valley send water inside, and lead is also a target for theft.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Colgate
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, so the roof is one item among many. Our survey is not a RICS survey, and it does not replace one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos of what we find and written recommendations. The two sit side by side. If you’ve noticed standing water on a flat extension roof and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Being in a small place like Colgate makes no difference to the inspection itself: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book, so the visit can be planned around them. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Visits can be booked on weekdays and at weekends.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Place
- Colgate (RH13, RH12)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Colgate
Other services in Colgate
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Colgate
To price your survey, we check:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The roof’s overall size
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, including VAT, and we can help you choose.
What to tell us when you get in touch
We will normally ask about:
- What made you get in touch
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
For a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Colgate, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you want to find out help us price the survey accurately.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Colgate
Will you come out to Colgate?
Yes, we do. We cover the whole of London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it’s useful to know about access.
Is Colgate in the area you cover?
We do. The survey and report are the same in Colgate as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not necessarily. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
How many surveys have you done?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
How soon is the report ready?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard reports within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. Reports are emailed, with photographs.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
Allow between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. We’ll give you an idea of timing when booking.
The survey, step by step
Time on site depends on the size and shape of the roof; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. If you have questions on the day, just ask. Somewhere as small as Colgate, access is often the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- Access is arranged through you, the agent or the seller.
- The roof is inspected from each safe vantage point, inside and out.
- We check and photograph the slates or tiles, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters.
- We email a written report with photos and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Getting a price
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Checking the roof from ground level
You can learn a lot from ground level. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Colgate
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Colgate. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it when booking and we will plan the survey around it.
Buying a home or a new roof in Colgate
Historic houses such as Tyes Place, about 4.5 miles south-east, show how far back building in the area around Colgate goes. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new.
The streets around a church such as St. Saviour's Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are. Landlords with a home close to Faygate station may find that a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
Colgate is about 3 miles south-west of Crawley, in West Sussex. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Colgate and nearby. Colgate is one of the places in West Sussex we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys.
We survey roofs across the RH13 and RH12 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Forest Road, Vicarage Close and Blackhouse Road and the roads around them. Close by, we survey roofs in Kilnwood Vale (1 mile north), Faygate (1 mile north-west), Broadfield (2 miles north-east), Roffey (2 miles west) and Handcross (3 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns like Crawley (3 miles north-east), Horsham (4 miles west), Haywards Heath (9 miles south-east), Burgess Hill (10 miles south-east), East Grinstead (11 miles east) and Storrington (14 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Colgate
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Dragon pub, Target Hill Park and Cottesmore School and the streets around them. The closest station to Colgate is Faygate station, roughly 1.3 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Crawley Museum (3.4 miles north-east) and County Mall (3.4 miles north-east). The countryside around Colgate includes Tilgate Lake and Warnham LNR.
Before and after the survey
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Ask for any paperwork for recent roof work
- Book once your offer is accepted
You may want to pass the report to your solicitor or conveyancer so questions can go to the seller’s solicitor. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it, particularly where we’ve found patch repairs.
Chimneys and flashings need watching. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.