Portsmouth · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Southsea
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Southsea, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Damp timbers or stains in the loft
- A ridge or slope that dips
- Blocked or leaking gutters
Common questions in Southsea
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Southsea?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Southsea, take more of a battering?
It can do. Within about 1 mile of the sea, as Southsea is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Will you climb onto the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft and from the roof itself where safe. On Premium, a drone is used where it applies.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Ask if you need details for a managing agent or building owner.
Do I need a roof survey if I’m having a RICS survey?
They do different things. A home survey looks at the whole property, and ours concentrates on the roof alone. Our survey complements a RICS survey and does not replace one.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Southsea: what you get
The roof is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair, and one of the hardest for a buyer to see. A pre-purchase roof survey looks at it closely before you are tied in. We check the slates or tiles, the ridges and valleys, the flashings, the chimneys and the gutters, and the roof space where it is safe to get in. The findings come in a written report with photos. We’re often asked to look into slipped or missing slates and tiles and standing water on a flat extension roof, on lead flashings and valleys, flat-roofed extensions and dormers and gutters and downpipes.
Southsea is the kind of town where older houses and newer estates sit side by side. Older houses often have slate or clay tiles on timbers that have done decades of work, while many later ones have concrete interlocking tiles. For a purchase or a new roof in Southsea, the type of roof decides where the checks focus. Many older roofs also have felt underlay or none at all, which matters as much as the tiles.
After the visit, you get a report with photos, emailed to you. It sets out the condition of the roof, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Southsea (PO5, PO4, PO1)
- Region
- Portsmouth
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we’re asked to look at in Southsea
Blocked or leaking gutters do damage that isn’t obvious at first. Overflowing water soaks walls and can rot the timber behind. Valley and parapet gutters can overflow inside the house. We check them as part of the survey.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Chimney mortar that has eroded
- Quick fixes on flashings and valleys
- Slates or tiles that have slipped or gone
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Margaret of Scotland, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- How long the report takes to arrive
What affects the cost of pre-purchase roof surveys
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
Prices start from £150, inc. VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both including VAT. You will know the price for the job before booking.
Helping us price your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- What made you get in touch
- Your timetable, like an exchange date
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Anything about access we should know
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email, let us know about the property and we’ll recommend the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Southsea
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the visit with that in mind.
Local roofs and buyers in Southsea
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Southsea, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, and loose ridges, slates and tiles are the first to lift in a gale, so exposed details get a careful look whether you’re buying or signing off new work. A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Each material has its own typical faults, which is what a buyer or the owner of a new roof needs to know about.
For landlords with property near Fratton station, a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Southsea is about 2 miles south of Portsmouth, in Portsmouth. Roofs in Southsea get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Portsmouth. Our Portsmouth coverage includes Southsea and the places around it.
We work across PO5, PO4 and PO1 for pre-purchase roof surveys and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Bath Road, Liss Road and Beach Road, and we cover them all. Neighbouring places we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys include Milton (1 mile north-east), Fratton (1 mile north), Kingston (1 mile north), Landport (1 mile north-west) and Baffins (2 miles north). We also work in nearby towns such as Hilsea (3 miles north), Wymering (4 miles north), Paulsgrove (5 miles north), Cosham (4 miles north), Drayton (4 miles north) and Farlington (5 miles north).
Around Southsea
Around Southsea, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Festing pub, St Edmund's Catholic School and Mayville High School. The nearest railway station is Fratton station, about 0.8 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include St. Mary's Hospital (1 mile north) and Southsea Castle (1 mile south-west). Not far away are Milton Locks.
Why get it checked now?
The lender’s valuation is done for the lender, not for you. It looks at whether the property is suitable security for the loan, not at the condition of each slate and flashing. Our survey is done for you, and the report is written for you to use. Once water reaches the loft insulation in a home in Southsea, it loses much of its value and is slow to dry. That’s an extra cost on top of the roof work itself.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
Why book us in Southsea
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Prices that include VAT
See how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Places near Southsea
More services for Southsea
DIY checks: what’s safe
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.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
How it works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit typically takes about one to two hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. For a home in Southsea, the main things we need are a way into the loft, a route to the back garden and somewhere to park. If you won’t be there yourself, let us know who will let us in.
- You choose a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey to suit the home you are buying.
- A date is booked on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- The coverings, ridges, valleys, flashings, chimneys and gutters are inspected and photographed.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets in another room
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Leave side gates unlocked
Booking a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.