East Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Southover
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Southover, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Bitumen or mortar used in place of proper repairs
What you can safely check yourself
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
It is useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Pre-purchase roof surveys for homes and businesses in Southover
Our packages start with the Basic Survey from £150, while Standard starts from £250 and Premium from £400, inc. VAT. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check. Premium goes further, with thermal imaging, a drone where applicable and a same-day report. Pick the one that fits the property. All three include a photo-illustrated written report and recommendations. Typical surveys look at gutters choked with leaves and moss and slipped or missing slates and tiles, across natural slate, the roof space and chimney stacks.
In a smaller place like Southover, some houses face open ground, which can mean more wind and rain on the roof. Ridges, verges and flashings are where that weather typically shows first. Whether you’re buying or signing off new work, those edges deserve a close look. Wind lifts anything already loose, so a small fault on an exposed roof does not stay small for long.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photographs show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put in order of urgency where relevant.
- Location
- Southover (BN7, BN8)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we check:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- How big the roof is
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
Helping us price your survey
A little information up front helps. It is useful to include:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Whether there is a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- What’s prompted the survey
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Common questions in Southover
Do you cover smaller places like Southover?
Yes. Southover is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do you cover Southover?
Yes, Southover is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Southover as anywhere else.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain is normally fine; heavy rain and wind are different. Strong wind or a downpour can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
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. Home surveys sometimes suggest a closer look at the roof, and that is where a roof survey helps. It doesn’t stand in for a RICS survey.
How do I book a survey in Southover?
Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We will ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
Do I need to be at home?
If the survey includes the loft or the inside of the building, someone needs to let us in. Access is agreed with you when you book.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where we can, yes. Inside, the loft shows leaks, damp timbers and the underlay. If we cannot get in, the report says so.
What we look for on each type of roof
Flat roofs
Flat roofs on extensions, dormers and garages are easy to forget about. Felt often lasts around 15 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 30 to 50 and GRP up to about 30. We look for signs of age and failure.
Gutters and parapets
Hidden gutters behind parapets send water indoors when they block. We look at their linings and outlets from wherever is safe.
What happens on the day
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect what can be seen safely, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. Parking around Southover is usually easier than in a town centre, but mention lanes, gates or long drives. On bungalows and lower roofs, much can be seen from ground level, with the loft showing the underside.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- We start outside, looking at the roof from the ground and from vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it is safe.
- You get a written report with photographs and recommendations before you exchange.
Before we arrive
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Related advice
Signs you need a pre-purchase roof survey in Southover
Gutter problems frequently look minor from the street. Water spilling over a gutter soaks brickwork and can rot fascias and rafter ends. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the house. They’re part of what we check.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
For landlords with property near Lewes 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 happens after the report arrives
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Is VAT included in the price?
- What insurance they carry
Places near Southover
What else we do in Southover
Pre-purchase roof surveys around Southover
Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. 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. Historic houses like Anne of Cleves House, about 0.2 miles south-west, show how far back building in the area around Southover goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Michael, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Southover is about 1 mile south-east of Lewes, in East Sussex. We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Southover and nearby. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
Here we cover the BN7 and BN8 postcode area for pre-purchase roof surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Ham Lane, New Road and Bell Lane. Being close to the A277 and A2029, Southover is easy for us to reach. Close by, we survey roofs in Cliffe (1 mile north-east), Lewes (1 mile north-west), South Malling (1 mile north), Iford (2 miles south-west) and Offham (2 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Eastbourne (13 miles south-east), Seaford (8 miles south-east), Hailsham (11 miles east), Crowborough (14 miles north-east), Uckfield (8 miles north-east) and Newhaven (6 miles south).
What’s near Southover
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Kings Head pub, Priory School and Railway Land, among other places. There’s a railway station in Southover itself: Lewes station. Well-known places in the area include Lewes Castle (less than half a mile north-west) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (3.9 miles north-east). Not far away are Cliffe Hill and Southerham Farm.