Brighton and Hove · London and the South East
Saltdean Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat around Saltdean, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Saltdean
Rear extensions, dormers and garages often have flat roofs. Felt flat roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, and standing water, blisters and splits are typical signs of ageing. A buyer can easily miss them, especially when they’re only visible from an upper floor.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
Landlords with a home close to Southease station may find that a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
What to check before booking
- What the survey won’t cover
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Whether the price includes VAT
- What exactly goes into their report
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Saltdean
If you’re buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. Depending on the lease, roof repairs may fall to the building owner or a management company. We inspect what access allows us to see safely, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. If the building has a flat roof, we look at that too where access allows. We survey flat-roofed extensions and dormers, the roof space and gutters and downpipes, and common reasons people get in touch are blocked or leaking gutters and cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing.
Around Saltdean, you’ll mostly find houses and bungalows of different ages. In older homes, the slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens and underlay holding them. For a purchase or a newly replaced roof, what’s under the coverings matters as much as what’s on top. Breathable membranes only appeared in the late 1990s, so older roofs frequently have bitumen felt or nothing at all.
It is not only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- Saltdean (BN2)
- Region
- Brighton and Hove
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Landlord and commercial surveys in Saltdean
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey seven days a week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out in order of urgency where relevant, which helps with budgets and planning.
How the survey changes by roof type
Clay and concrete tiles
Older homes in the South East often have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles on some. Where pegs have rotted, tiles can slip, so we look for gaps along the courses.
Gutters and parapets
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter, typically to the back of the house. If the home you are buying has one, that gutter and its outlet get a careful look.
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
Survey packages start from £150, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Which survey package you book
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Booking your survey
There is no need for technical words. It’s enough to tell us:
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Saltdean
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Saltdean, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Corroded clips and nails and lifted ridge pieces are typical of exposed roofs near the sea. If your survey includes the drone, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying.
Monk's House, about 3.5 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Saltdean. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it’s worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing. The streets around a church like St Nicholas are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Saltdean is about 1 mile west of Telscombe, in Brighton and Hove. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Saltdean can all book pre-purchase roof surveys. Across Brighton and Hove, we cover Saltdean.
Surveys in BN2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on Hill Road, School Lane and Lynwood Road or a nearby road, we can help. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include East Saltdean (1 mile east), Rottingdean (1 mile north-west), Telscombe (1 mile east), Ovingdean (2 miles north-west) and Roedean (3 miles west). Further out, we also cover Brighton (4 miles north-west), Brighton and Hove (7 miles west), Hove (6 miles west), Carlton Hill (4 miles west), Hanover (4 miles north-west) and West Hill (5 miles west).
Local landmarks in Saltdean
Around Saltdean, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Beacon Hill, Queen Victoria pub and Longhill High School. For rail, the closest station is Southease station, about 3.7 miles north-east. Nearby you will also find French Convalescent Home (3 miles west) and Brighton Motor Museum (3.5 miles west). The countryside around Saltdean includes Beacon Hill Local Nature Reserve and Newmarket Hill.
Before and after the survey
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
It’s worth sharing the report with your solicitor so they can raise enquiries with the seller’s side. It can prompt questions about past roof work and any paperwork for it.
Keep an eye on chimneys and flashings in your new home. Look for leaning pots, missing mortar and lifted lead. A pair of binoculars from the garden shows a lot.
Places near Saltdean
More services for Saltdean
Questions from Saltdean
Do you cover smaller places like Saltdean?
Yes. Saltdean is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Saltdean, 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 normally shows, and Saltdean is within about 1 mile of the coast.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That gives you time to use the findings, whether that means asking questions or negotiating.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
That depends on how much you want to know about the roof. A home survey may recommend further investigation of the roof, and that is where a roof survey helps. It does not stand in for a RICS survey.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and we can provide details if a managing agent needs them.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that ahead of time, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
How the survey works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. In a smaller place like Saltdean, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. Low roofs on bungalows can frequently be seen well from the ground, and the loft shows the rest, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where applicable.
- Once your offer has been accepted, you book and give us the address and your timescale.
- We agree a time and how we will get in, including the loft.
- We check the roof from ground level, from windows, from the loft space and from the roof where safe.
- Coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are checked and photographed.
- Your report arrives by email, with photos and recommendations prioritised by urgency.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Book a survey
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.