East Sussex · London and the South East
Cross in Hand Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Get a clear view of the roof at a property in Cross in Hand. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Blocked or leaking gutters
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
Pre-purchase roof survey in Cross in Hand
Buying a home is a big commitment, and the roof is one of the costliest parts to put right. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you’re tied in. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the roof space where it is safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. We survey lead flashings and valleys, clay and concrete tiles and gutters and downpipes, and people most often book us about gutters choked with leaves and moss and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem.
In a village or hamlet like Cross in Hand, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
The report does not just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- Cross in Hand (TN21)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
When we price a survey, we consider:
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How big the roof is
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you need to know.
Booking your survey
You do not need to know any roofing terms. It’s enough to tell us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
When you need someone else
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Natural slate
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Gutters and downpipes
Nearby places to Cross in Hand
Also in Cross in Hand
Cross in Hand: your questions answered
Do you cover Cross in Hand?
Yes, Cross in Hand is within the area we cover. We work right across London and the South East. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the property.
Is Cross in Hand within the area you cover?
Yes. Cross in Hand is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. We will talk about access as you book.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. A shared roof needs access agreed first. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
What insurance do you have?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It does not cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing are not part of what we do. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Cross in Hand: local notes
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs, and oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of East Sussex’s older buildings. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new. What can be done to an older roof may depend on listing or a conservation area. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, ideally before any re-roofing is planned.
For landlords with property near Buxted station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in. Take an older house close to St Bartholomew: older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Cross in Hand is about 5 miles east of Uckfield, in East Sussex. We survey roofs in Cross in Hand and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. Cross in Hand is one of the places in East Sussex where we work for pre-purchase roof surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Brighton page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in TN21 are booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes homes and businesses on Fir Grove Road, Windmill Place and Dads Hill. Other places close to Cross in Hand include Roser's Cross (1 mile south-west), Waldron (1 mile south-west), Heathfield (2 miles east), Sandy Cross (2 miles south-east) and Lions Green (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (13 miles south), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles south-east), Seaford (14 miles south), Lewes (11 miles south-west), Hailsham (8 miles south) and Crowborough (6 miles north).
What’s near Cross in Hand
In Cross in Hand, that means homes and buildings near Passingworth Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Buxted station, roughly 3.9 miles west. Well-known places in the area include Sussex Farm Museum (2.8 miles south) and Tickerage Castle (2.9 miles west). For a walk, there’s Selwyns Wood.
Different roofs, different checks
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. We check their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
Flat roofs
Standing water, blisters, splits and tired upstands all point to wear. We check outlets too, since a blocked one leaves water sitting on the roof, and we say what we see from wherever is safe.
How it works
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes between one and two hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Rural addresses near Cross in Hand can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Preparing for the visit
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Keep pets in another room
Booking a survey
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Related advice
Tips from our surveys
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. Our suggestions:
- Let us know your timetable
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Look for fresh paint on upstairs ceilings at viewings
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and keep the photographs to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
After strong winds, look at the roof from the ground. Slipped slates, lifted ridge tiles and debris on the ground are signs to act on. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
Checking the roof from the ground
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.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.