East Sussex · London and the South East
Selmeston Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
Find out the condition of the roof at your property in Selmeston. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
What affects the price in Selmeston
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- The size of the roof
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Height and safe access
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
To find out what your survey will cost, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a few details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Any deadline, like an exchange date
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You will have a price before anything is arranged.
About our pre-purchase roof survey in Selmeston
Many older houses carry decades of roof repairs. Slates slip when their nails corrode, lead valleys and flashings wear, and chimney pointing crumbles. Most of it cannot be seen from the street. We look closely and record what we see, with photos so you can see it for yourself. We explain each finding in plain English, so it’s clear what it means for your purchase. We’re often asked to look into standing water on a flat extension roof and lead that has worked loose at a wall or chimney, on clay and concrete tiles, natural slate and chimney stacks.
Older buildings in small places like Selmeston may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials a new roof may use, so check with the council and Historic England’s list. For a buyer or someone with a newly finished roof, it’s worth knowing which applies, as well as what condition the roof is in. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings.
We keep jargon out of it: where something needs attention, it says so plainly.
- Location
- Selmeston (BN26)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
We do not take risks to get a closer look. Everything that can be seen safely is inspected, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes between one and two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Somewhere as small as Selmeston, access is frequently the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- 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 look at the roof from ground level, from windows, from the roof space and from the roof where safe.
- Each part of the roof is examined and photographed.
- We email a written report with photographs and recommendations, ready for you to use before exchange.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
How to book
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Related advice
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Selmeston
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen over flashings, mortar fillets in place of lead and odd replacement tiles can be signs that something has leaked before. Our report records them so you can ask the seller what was done and when.
Look out for signs like these:
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Ponding, blisters or splits on a flat roof
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
If you own a rental within reach of Berwick (Sussex) station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Their insurance cover
- What exactly goes into their report
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Selmeston
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- The roof space
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- Clay and concrete tiles
What a pre-purchase roof survey looks like in Selmeston
Where the drone is part of the survey, we check the Drone Safety Map for restrictions before flying. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs, and oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of East Sussex’s older buildings. For a purchase or a newly finished roof, the materials decide which details matter most.
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Mary, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming. Charleston Farmhouse lies about 1.2 miles west, so building around Selmeston goes back a long way. If you’re buying an older home nearby, it is worth knowing whether it’s listed or in a conservation area before you plan any re-roofing.
Selmeston is about 5 miles north of Seaford, in East Sussex. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Selmeston and nearby. We cover towns and villages across East Sussex, large and small. Brighton is in our area too.
Surveys in BN26 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on The Street and Lewes Road. We also cover the places around Selmeston: Alciston (1 mile south), Berwick (1 mile east), Ripe (2 miles north), Winton (2 miles south) and Wickstreet (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns like Eastbourne (7 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles east), Seaford (5 miles south), Lewes (6 miles west), Hailsham (5 miles east) and Crowborough (14 miles north).
Landmarks near Selmeston
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Barley Mow pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 1 mile east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Drusillas Museum (1.8 miles south-east) and Chailey Heritage Marine Hospital (5.3 miles south-west). Open spaces near Selmeston include Firle Beacon.
Tips that help
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Watch for stains or fresh paint on ceilings below the roof
- Let us know your timetable
- Ask the agent to check the loft hatch can be opened
- Pass the findings to your conveyancer
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and keep the photographs to compare against later. Premium comes with a follow-up after 12 months to see how things have changed.
Do not block the vents at the eaves. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Keep insulation clear of eaves vents so air can move.
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in Selmeston
Is Selmeston within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Is Selmeston in the area you cover?
Yes. We work right across London and South East England, and Selmeston is part of that. You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and some details.
Is a roof survey worth having alongside a home survey?
It is your choice, but the two do different jobs. A home survey looks at the whole property, while ours looks only at the roof, in more detail. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning. Let us know about it as you book and we will plan the survey around it.
When is the best time to have the roof checked when buying?
After your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. That way you can still act on what we find.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the loft space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed when you book.
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings and valleys
Many leaks start at a flashing, so we check each one closely. We photograph any that need work.
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. Where we can see them safely, we check the linings and outlets.