Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Rookley Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
We take a careful look at the roof at your property in Rookley, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
Leave it or get it looked at?
When a chain is moving fast, a roof survey can feel like one more delay. We visit seven days a week, and the Premium Survey report arrives the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. In a place like Rookley, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Rookley
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- A report with photos
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Rookley
A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey covers the whole building, and the roof is only one part of it. Our survey isn’t a RICS survey, and it doesn’t replace one. It adds a focused look at the roof on its own, with photos of what we find and written recommendations. You can have both if you want the fullest picture. We survey the roof space, clay and concrete tiles and lead flashings and valleys, and common reasons people get in touch are lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney and damp timbers or stains in the loft.
For a small place like Rookley, the visit is planned like any other: it just means planning the journey and access beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them as you book. Whether you are buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
The report doesn’t just list problems. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- Rookley (PO38)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
A stack stands exposed above the roof line. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings.
Natural slate
Older slate roofs often have bitumen felt under them, and very old ones may have none. From inside the roof space, we report what we can see of it.
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to look at the roof as closely as is safe and record what we find. Notes and photos go into the written report. The visit 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 Rookley 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.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect and photograph every part of the roof we can safely see.
- Moisture detection, structural checks, thermal imaging or a drone are added where your package includes them.
- You receive the report, with findings prioritised by urgency, so you can raise them with the seller.
Before the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Booking a survey
Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Advice
DIY checks: what’s safe
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
Places near Rookley
Other services in Rookley
Tips from our surveys
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Share the report with your solicitor
- Let us know your timetable
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation to talk the findings through, and the Premium Survey includes an in-person consultation. If anything in the report is not clear, ask us.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Watch for gaps in the pointing, cracked flaunching and loose lead. Binoculars from the ground are enough for a first look.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Rookley
Rookley is within about 5 miles of the coast, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, so exposed details get a proper look whether you’re buying or signing off new work. 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 St. Olave's Church, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. If you own a rental within reach of Shanklin station, the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. Sheat Manor lies about 1 mile west, so building around Rookley goes back a long way. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy.
Rookley is about 3 miles south of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. From houses to flats and shops in Rookley, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Rookley is one of the towns and villages in the Isle of Wight we cover. Portsmouth is in our area too.
Every address in PO38 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Manor Crescent, Niton Road and Main Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Rookley Green (1 mile south), Merstone (1 mile north-east), Blackwater (1 mile north), Godshill (2 miles south-east) and Sandford (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Newport (3 miles north), Ryde (7 miles north-east), Cowes (7 miles north), Sandown (5 miles east), Shanklin (5 miles east) and Ventnor (5 miles south-east). Remote addresses need a little more planning, so tell us where you are when you book.
Around Rookley
In Rookley, that means homes and buildings near Chequers Inn, among other places. The nearest railway station is Shanklin station, about 4.7 miles east. Well-known places in the area include Carisbrooke Castle (2.7 miles north-west) and Whitecroft Hospital (1.6 miles north-west). The countryside around Rookley includes Stenbury Down and Alverstone Mead.
Common questions in Rookley
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Rookley, take more of a battering?
It can do. Within about 5 miles of the sea, as Rookley is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
How do I find out if my home in Rookley is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
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. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
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. What the seller agrees to is their decision, so we can’t promise any saving.
Do you work in Rookley?
Yes. Rookley is part of the area we cover.
How long will you be at the property?
The visit typically takes an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. We will confirm what to expect when we arrange the visit.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Rookley
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.