East Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Icklesham, East Sussex
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across Icklesham, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
DIY checks: what’s safe
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Icklesham
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, and the roof is only one part of it. 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. We survey natural slate, clay and concrete tiles and the roof space, and people most often book us about worn or lifted lead flashings and sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes.
Somewhere as small as Icklesham, 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.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly.
- Place
- Icklesham (TN36)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Icklesham
What else we do in Icklesham
What this survey can’t tell you
It is a careful look at the roof, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Whether timbers meet design loads
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll suggest the right survey before you book. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
Common roof problems in Icklesham
Gutter problems often look minor from the street. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the house. They’re part of what we check.
We are frequently asked to look at:
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Slipped or missing slates and tiles
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
If you let a flat or house near Winchelsea station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full.
Questions to ask before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
For landlords and managing agents
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
What a survey costs
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- The size of the roof
- Which survey package you book
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
For a price for your roof in Icklesham, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Helping us price your survey
There is no need for technical words. It is enough to tell us:
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
What happens on the day
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit normally takes about one to two hours for a house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Somewhere like Icklesham needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from ground level, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You book once your offer is accepted and tell us the address and your timetable.
- We agree a time and how we’ll get in, including the loft.
- We inspect the roof from the ground, windows, the loft and the roof itself where it is safe.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- We email a report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Getting ready for the survey
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Book a survey
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Advice
Icklesham questions
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Icklesham, take more of a battering?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it typically shows.
Is my home in Icklesham listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
How long does a pre-purchase roof survey take?
On site, it normally takes an hour or two at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. Report times depend on the package, from the same day for Premium to within 48 hours for Basic.
Should I get a roof survey as well as a RICS home survey?
It depends on the roof and how confident you want to be. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and our survey gives you that closer look. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
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.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Icklesham: local notes
Icklesham lies within about 3 miles of the sea, where wind off the sea can be strong. The weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead, as a small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain. Where the drone is part of the survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
For an older house near a landmark such as The Parish Church of St Nicholas, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. Historic houses such as Lamb House, about 3.7 miles north-east, show how far back building around Icklesham goes. Buying a period property here means asking about the roof’s age and repairs, and about any listing or conservation area.
Icklesham is about 6 miles north-east of Hastings, in East Sussex. From houses to flats and shops in Icklesham, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Icklesham is one of the places in East Sussex where we work. For surveys nearby, see our Maidstone page.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in TN36 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Tithe Barn Field, Manor Close and High Fords and the roads around them. Other places close to Icklesham include Broad Street (1 mile west), Cock Marling (2 miles north), Udimore (2 miles north), Three Oaks (2 miles south-west) and Broadland Row (3 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Hastings (6 miles south-west), Bexhill-on-Sea (10 miles south-west), St Leonards (7 miles south-west), Hastings Old Town (5 miles south-west), Belmont (5 miles south-west) and Hollington (6 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Icklesham
Icklesham’s nearest station is Winchelsea station, about 2 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Camber Castle (3.2 miles east) and Winchelsea Court Hall Museum (1.9 miles east). For a walk, there’s Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.