East Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Filching
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat for Filching, from an experienced roof surveyor. Every survey comes with a written report and photographs.
- Gutters choked with leaves and moss
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
What we do, step by step
The visit has one job: to look at the roof 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 at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Rural addresses near Filching can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- Standard and Premium surveys add the extra checks they include.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Preparing for the visit
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Getting a price
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Advice
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Filching
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, so the roof is one item among many. We don’t offer a RICS home survey, and ours isn’t a substitute for one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos and written recommendations you can act on. You can have both if you want the fullest picture. We are often asked to look into patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem and flashings that have lifted or split, on chimney stacks, clay and concrete tiles and gutters and downpipes.
Somewhere as small as Filching, older cottages, farmhouses and converted buildings often sit beside a few newer homes. 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, and thatch is a specialist material, so we report on what can be seen. Older roofs may also have old felt underlay or none, and fixings that have done a long stint.
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 applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Filching (BN26)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Filching
Is my home in Filching listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is Filching within the area you cover?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
How do I book a survey in Filching?
The quickest way is to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll take it from there. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
Do I need to be at home?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Do you need access inside the house?
Ideally, yes. The loft tells us a lot about the roof, and upstairs windows give useful views. The agent or seller can arrange entry.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Filching
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the roof, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Honest limits
Before you book, it’s worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- A structural engineer’s report
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
- The condition of the rest of the house (that’s a RICS home survey)
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- The roof space
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- Clay and concrete tiles
Buying a home or a new roof in Filching
Filching lies within about 4 miles of the sea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, and loose ridges, slates and tiles are the first to lift in a gale. The wider area around Filching has a long history of building, with Alfriston Clergy House about 2.9 miles west. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If you let a flat or house near Polegate station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it. If you own one of the older houses in the streets near The Parish Church of Saint Peter, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Filching is about 3 miles north-west of Eastbourne, in East Sussex. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Filching and the surrounding area. Across East Sussex, we cover Filching. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
Every address in BN26 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Wannock (1 mile north-east), Folkington (1 mile north-west), Lower Willingdon (1 mile east), Willingdon (1 mile east) and Polegate (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns like Eastbourne (3 miles south-east), Hastings (15 miles east), Bexhill-on-Sea (11 miles east), Seaford (5 miles west), Lewes (11 miles north-west) and Hailsham (4 miles north).
Landmarks near Filching
In Filching, that means homes and buildings near The Eight Bells Inn and Willingdon Community School and the streets around them. Filching’s nearest station is Polegate station, roughly 1.5 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Burlough Castle (2.5 miles west) and Eastbourne District General Hospital (2.3 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Combe Hill.
Roof by roof
Lead flashings and valleys
Lead-lined valleys and gutters are common on older homes in London and the South East. Worn or cracked lead lets water straight into the roof, and lead is also a target for theft.
Natural slate
Many older homes in London and South East England have slate roofs. We check for slipped, cracked and missing slates, plus the metal clips that show earlier patching.
Why act early in Filching
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit on weekdays and at weekends, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. In a small place like Filching, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we’ll tell you which fits.
Why us?
- An independent view of the roof
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- 98% customer satisfaction
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Request records of any re-roofing
- Mention any deadline when you get in touch
The report gives any roofer you ask to quote a clear brief. The photos show the defects and where they are, so each quote covers the same ground.
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. Small repairs done quickly stop bigger problems later.