Kent · London and the South East
Hicks Forstal Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Wondering about the roof at a property in Hicks Forstal? You can book a pre-purchase roof survey in Hicks Forstal and across Kent.
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hicks Forstal: what you get
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company, with costs frequently passed on through the service charge. We check as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report helps you ask your solicitor or the managing agent the right questions. If the building has a flat roof, we check that too where access allows. If you’ve noticed slates or tiles that have slipped or gone and roof slopes that look uneven or sagging, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Being in a small place like Hicks Forstal 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 when booking, so the visit can be planned around them. Buyers and owners of new roofs get the same approach as anywhere. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Hicks Forstal (CT3)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Hicks Forstal
A chimney stack stands out in the wind and rain and they’re often the least maintained part of a roof. Mortar erodes, the flaunching around the pots cracks and the flashings work loose. On terraced and semi-detached homes, a stack may be shared with next door, which can affect how any work is arranged.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
- Lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Blocked or leaking gutters
In and around Hicks Forstal, as anywhere, a roof is easiest to deal with when its problems are found early.
What to check before booking
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What insurance they carry
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Their track record with similar roofs
How the survey works
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. Somewhere as small as Hicks Forstal, access is often the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- You book once your offer is accepted and tell us the address and your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller.
- The roof is inspected from each safe vantage point, inside and out.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- We email a written report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before we arrive
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Keep pets in another room
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price before you book.
Advice
Landlords, agents and block managers in Hicks Forstal
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you get in touch and we will plan the survey around it.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Hicks Forstal
A mortgage valuation is not a roof survey. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, and it won’t look closely at the roof. A roof survey is carried out for the buyer, and the report is written for you to use. Older and listed buildings around Hicks Forstal may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT, and we can help you choose.
Why book with us
- 98% customer satisfaction
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- A report with photographs
- An independent view of the roof
DIY checks: what’s safe
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Hicks Forstal
Is the coastal weather around Hicks Forstal hard on roofs?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it normally shows, and Hicks Forstal is within about 3 miles of the coast.
Will you come out to Hicks Forstal?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Can I take the findings back to the seller?
Yes. Buyers use the findings to ask questions, ask for repairs before completion or ask for a price change. What the seller agrees to is their decision, so we cannot promise any saving.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. The Premium Survey adds a drone inspection where it applies.
Can you survey at the weekend?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you as you book.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Places near Hicks Forstal
More services for Hicks Forstal
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
Leaning stacks, loose pots and eroded mortar are common findings. We photograph them so you can raise them before exchange.
Flat roofs
Repeated coatings on a flat roof can mask what’s underneath. We say when the covering would need opening up to know more.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Hicks Forstal
Hicks Forstal lies within about 3 miles of the sea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
If you own a rental within reach of Sturry station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Hicks Forstal is about 2 miles south of Herne Bay, in Kent. If you are in Hicks Forstal, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Across Kent, we cover Hicks Forstal.
Surveys in CT3 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We also cover the places around Hicks Forstal: Calcott (1 mile south-west), Herne Common (1 mile north), Knave's Ash (1 mile east), Herne (1 mile north) and Bullockstone (1 mile north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (4 miles south-west), Margate (12 miles east), Dover (15 miles south-east), Ramsgate (12 miles east), Broadstairs (13 miles east) and Whitstable (4 miles west).
Near you in Hicks Forstal
Typical jobs here are in homes near Curtis Wood and the streets around them. The closest station to Hicks Forstal is Sturry station, about 2.2 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include St Martins Hospital (3.9 miles south) and Canterbury Castle (4.6 miles south-west). Not far away are West Blean and Thornden Woods.