West Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Shermanbury
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Shermanbury, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
- Flashings that have lifted or split
- Loose pots and cracked flaunching
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect what can safely be seen, and anything we cannot see is noted in the report. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In a small place like Shermanbury, access is normally the main thing to plan. Let us know about outbuildings, past repairs and any leaks you’ve noticed. Visits can be on weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you’re buying.
- We agree a visit, including weekends if that helps.
- 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.
- We send the report with recommendations ranked by urgency, ready for you to discuss with the seller or agent.
Before we arrive
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in Shermanbury
Tall, steep or hidden roofs are hard to judge from the street. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, plus a drone inspection where it applies, and the report arrives the same day. Where a flight isn’t possible, because of airspace rules or the weather, we tell you and inspect from every other safe vantage point. We survey the roof space, lead flashings and valleys and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and common reasons people get in touch are sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes and gaps where slates or tiles have come loose.
Some older homes in villages like Shermanbury are listed or sit in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it’s worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Shermanbury (RH13)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when you book.
Shermanbury: your questions answered
Do you cover smaller places like Shermanbury?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is my home in Shermanbury listed or in a conservation area?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Will you need to get into the loft?
If it can be arranged, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If access isn’t possible, we note it in the report.
When should I book a pre-purchase roof survey?
Once your offer has been accepted, and before exchange. That gives you time to use the findings.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
How do I book a survey in Shermanbury?
Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day.
Nearby places to Shermanbury
Also in Shermanbury
What this survey cannot tell you
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- A structural engineer’s report
- Whether materials contain asbestos (that needs a specialist asbestos surveyor)
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll point you to the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney stacks
- Lead flashings and valleys
- The roof space
- Natural slate
- Gutters and downpipes
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Clay and concrete tiles
Buying a home or a new roof in Shermanbury
Older houses across Sussex often have handmade clay tiles, and many have tile-hanging on their upper walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Material and age explain a lot of what turns up on the day, whether the roof is old or brand new. If your survey includes the drone, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Giles, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Shermanbury is about 7 miles west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. We provide pre-purchase roof surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Shermanbury. Our area takes in places right across West Sussex, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Brighton page.
All of RH13 is within our area for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Knapp Drive, Brighton Road and Partridge Green Road, and we cover them all. If you’re just outside Shermanbury, we cover Kent Street (2 miles north-east), Cowfold (2 miles north), Wineham (2 miles east), Henfield (2 miles south) and Blackstone (3 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Crawley (11 miles north), Horsham (7 miles north), Worthing (11 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (9 miles east), Burgess Hill (7 miles east) and Littlehampton (15 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Shermanbury
We work in homes and buildings around The Bull Inn. Nearby you will also find The Dene Hospital (5.2 miles east). For a walk, there is Knepp Wildland.
What we’re asked to look at in Shermanbury
Buildings put up or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Cement roof sheets, soffits and flue pipes are typical places to find it. We do not test for it or carry out asbestos surveys, but our report flags materials that could contain it and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before work starts.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Blistered or split felt on a flat roof
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
In and around Shermanbury, as anywhere, a roof is easiest to deal with when its problems are found early.
What to check before booking
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Their insurance cover
- How soon the report will arrive
Prices for pre-purchase roof surveys in Shermanbury
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How big the roof is
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Helping us price your survey
We will normally ask about:
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Why act early in Shermanbury
A slow leak can go unnoticed for months. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Finding the cause at the survey stage means you know about it from day one. In a place like Shermanbury, a barn or garage roof left to fail puts whatever is inside at risk. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Why book with us
- Photographs and a written report every time
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.