Brighton and Hove · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Hollingdean, Brighton and Hove
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Hollingdean from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Hollingdean
Buying a flat brings its own roof questions. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that is often not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We look at 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 look at that too where access allows. Typical surveys look at damp timbers or stains in the loft and gutters that overflow or drip at the joints, across chimney stacks, gutters and downpipes and the roof space.
In a smaller place like Hollingdean, homes are mostly houses and bungalows, from older cottages to more recent builds. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. Whether you are buying or have just had the roof replaced, that hidden layer is worth knowing about. Older roofs often have bitumen felt under the coverings, as breathable membranes only arrived in the late 1990s.
If any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Place
- Hollingdean (BN1, BN2)
- Wider area
- Brighton and Hove
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Hollingdean
How do I find out if my home in Hollingdean is listed?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Hollingdean, take more of a battering?
It can do. Hollingdean is within about 2 miles of the sea, and coastal roofs tend to see faster wear on metal parts and more wind lifting loose pieces.
How do I book a survey in Hollingdean?
To book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. We survey the roof, not the whole building, and it is not a RICS home survey. It complements one rather than replacing it.
When will the report arrive?
It depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Let us know your timetable when booking.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
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. The outcome is between you and the seller.
Towns and villages near Hollingdean
More services for Hollingdean
What a pre-purchase roof survey does not cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- What’s under the slates, tiles or felt
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Natural slate
Landlord and commercial surveys in Hollingdean
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Hollingdean. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Small roof defects let water in slowly. By the time a stain shows, timber or plaster may already be damp. Spotting it before you buy lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. Homes in smaller places like Hollingdean can face more weather, so a loose ridge or verge soon lets rain in. Each storm lifts it a little further, and water follows.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and which survey you book.
Why book us in Hollingdean
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- Visits on any day of the week
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Package prices that include VAT
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Hollingdean
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. It is frequently found in cement sheets, soffits and flue pipes. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
People typically book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
Take an older house close to St Richard's: the roof may have had decades of patch repairs, and the survey shows where they are.
Before booking anyone
- How soon the report will arrive
- Are they insured for the work?
- What the survey won’t cover
- Their track record with similar roofs
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the loft space if there’s safe access. In total, it takes about 1–2 hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. A visit to Hollingdean is planned like any other: the time, the access and where to park are agreed in advance. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. Tell us about any garages, outbuildings or extensions you want included.
- We help you pick the package that suits the property.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- 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
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Let us know about parking before the day
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
Getting a price
When you’re ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Related advice
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. A few suggestions:
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Check we will be able to get into the loft space
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Tell us your exchange date when booking
If the report shows work is needed, you can raise it with the seller or agent. Some buyers ask for repairs before completion, others ask for a change to the price. What happens next is your decision and the seller’s.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Take photos so you can show whoever looks at it.
Local roofs and buyers in Hollingdean
Hollingdean is within about 2 miles of the coast, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, and loose ridges, slates and tiles are the first to lift in a gale. About 0.9 miles west lies Preston Manor & Gardens, a reminder of how long the area around Hollingdean has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
If you own a rental within reach of Moulsecoomb station, it is worth knowing a roof’s condition before you buy it, or before you sign off new roofing work on it.
Hollingdean is about 1 mile north of Brighton, in Brighton and Hove. We visit Hollingdean as part of our work across Brighton and Hove, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Across Brighton and Hove, we cover Hollingdean.
All of BN1 and BN2 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer pre-purchase roof surveys to properties on Mayo Road, Dewe Road and Rugby Road. Nearby, we also carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Brighton (1 mile south), Preston (1 mile west), Moulsecoomb (1 mile east), Prestonville (1 mile south-west) and Hanover (1 mile south). Within a short drive, we also cover Brighton and Hove (3 miles west), Aldrington (3 miles west), Hangleton (3 miles west), Saltdean (5 miles south-east), East Saltdean (5 miles south-east) and Roedean (3 miles south-east). Hollingdean is among the bigger towns we cover in Brighton and Hove.
Near you in Hollingdean
In Hollingdean, that means homes and buildings near Varndean School, William Clarke Park and The Pub at Fiveways, among other places. Hollingdean’s nearest station is Moulsecoomb station, about 0.5 miles east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Brighton General Hospital (1.1 miles south-east) and Clayton Castle (4.6 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Newmarket Hill and Bevendean Down.