West Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-purchase roof survey in Scaynes Hill, West Sussex
A careful look at the roof at your property in Scaynes Hill, and put it all in a photo-illustrated written report.
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
What this survey can’t tell you
No survey can tell you everything, and it is better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
- Whether the price should change, which is between you and the seller
- Whether timbers meet design loads
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Natural slate
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
Pre-purchase roof survey in Scaynes Hill: what you get
If you are buying a flat, the roof may well be shared. The lease decides who looks after the roof, and that’s often not the individual flat owner, with costs often passed on through the service charge. We check as much of the roof as access safely allows, and the report gives you clear points to raise with your solicitor or the managing agent. Where the building has a flat roof, it’s checked as far as access allows. Typical surveys look at old water stains in the roof space and blistered or split felt on a flat roof, across clay and concrete tiles, gutters and downpipes and flat-roofed extensions and dormers.
For a small place like Scaynes Hill, the visit is planned like any other: the journey, parking and access are simply agreed ahead of time. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages with roofs you’d like looked at as you book, 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.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Location
- Scaynes Hill (RH17)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Why it is worth a survey now in Scaynes Hill
It’s tempting to skip the roof to keep a sale moving. Weekend visits are available as well as weekdays, and a Premium report comes the same day, which helps it fit around your exchange date. For older village homes like those around Scaynes Hill, the right replacement materials aren’t always easy to find quickly. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
Prices start from £150, with VAT included, for a Basic Survey. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400. We confirm the price for the job before you book.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Scaynes Hill
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- 98% of customers satisfied
Questions from Scaynes Hill
How do I find out if my home in Scaynes Hill is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Scaynes Hill in the area you cover?
Yes, Scaynes Hill is within the area we cover. Our area covers London and the South East. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the property.
Do you go up on the roof?
Where it’s safe, yes. 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 applicable.
Do you need access inside the house?
If it can be arranged, yes. From the roof space we can see staining, timbers and underlay. If access is not possible, we note it in the report.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a roof survey by an experienced roof surveyor, with a written report and photos. It does not cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
What insurance do you have?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it is applicable and safe, yes. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Tips from our surveys
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
- Check we’ll be able to get into the roof space
- Notice patches of new decoration in top-floor rooms
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
We email the report to you, with photos of each finding. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. Each defect is explained in plain words, with recommendations prioritised by urgency where relevant.
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.
Also near Scaynes Hill
Also in Scaynes Hill
Checking the roof from ground level
It is useful to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when you book, as it helps us focus the survey.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Scaynes Hill: local notes
Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most. The wider area around Scaynes Hill has a long history of building, with Ockenden Manor about 4.1 miles west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming. If you let a flat or house near Haywards Heath station, a roof report gives you a clear picture before you buy or settle up with a roofer.
Scaynes Hill is about 2 miles east of Haywards Heath, in West Sussex. Surveys in Scaynes Hill work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Crawley page.
We survey roofs across the RH17 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Church Road, Lewes Road and Orchard Close, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Haywards Heath (2 miles west), North Chailey (2 miles south-east), Wivelsfield Green (2 miles south), Wivelsfield (2 miles south-west) and Chailey (3 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Crawley (10 miles north-west), Horsham (13 miles north-west), Burgess Hill (4 miles south-west), East Grinstead (10 miles north), Shoreham-by-Sea (14 miles south-west) and Broadfield (10 miles north-west).
What’s near Scaynes Hill
In Scaynes Hill, that means homes and buildings near Oathall Community College, The Farmers pub and Great Walstead School, among other places. Scaynes Hill’s nearest station is Haywards Heath station, roughly 2.4 miles west of the centre. A little further out are Princess Royal Hospital (1.6 miles west) and Parish Museum (2 miles north-west). The countryside around Scaynes Hill includes Ashenground and Bolnore Woods.
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney stacks
Chimney stacks take the brunt of the weather. We check the pots, the flaunching, the pointing and the flashings, as far as we can see them safely.
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt roofs often last around 15 to 20 years, rubber longer and GRP up to about 30. We check how the covering is wearing.
The survey, step by step
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. A typical visit takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Somewhere as small as Scaynes Hill, access is frequently the only tricky part. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed in advance.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from ground level and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Leave side gates unlocked
How to book
To get a price for pre-purchase roof surveys in Scaynes Hill, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.