West Sussex · London and the South East
West Barnham Pre-Purchase Roof Survey
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat across West Barnham, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Sagging ridge lines or uneven roof slopes
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
Your questions about pre-purchase roof surveys in West Barnham
Does being near the coast affect roofs in West Barnham?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Exposed details such as ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch.
How do I find out if my home in West Barnham is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe. We also inspect from ground level, upper windows and the loft space.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, over more than 20 years, and 98% of customers are satisfied.
How quickly will I get the report?
Premium reports arrive the same day, Standard reports within 24 to 48 hours and Basic within 48 hours. We send it by email with photos included.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in West Barnham?
Simply ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but only a specialist asbestos surveyor can confirm it. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
How a pre-purchase roof survey works in West Barnham
The best time to book is once your offer has been accepted and before you exchange contracts. That’s when the findings are most useful, because nothing is binding yet. Visits run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when a sale is moving quickly. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard within 24 to 48 hours and Premium the same day. We survey lead flashings and valleys, clay and concrete tiles and flat-roofed extensions and dormers, and people most frequently book us about slipped or missing slates and tiles and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem.
For a small place like West Barnham, the visit is planned like any other: it just means planning the journey and access beforehand. If there are outbuildings with roofs you want checked, mention them when you book. Whether you are buying or checking new work, the same care goes into it. Weekday and weekend visits are both available.
We write the report in plain English, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to, with the urgent items made clear.
- Location
- West Barnham (PO22)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Towns and villages near West Barnham
Other services in West Barnham
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:
- Give your solicitor a copy of the report
- Ask for loft access on the day
- Ask when the roof was last worked on
- Request records of any re-roofing
If you want quotes for the work, roofers can work from the report. They’ll see exactly what we found, and where, which makes quotes easier to compare.
Check the roof from the garden and the street after a storm. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Dealing with them early keeps water out.
What affects the price in West Barnham
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. This is what makes a difference:
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Basic, Standard or Premium
All our prices include VAT. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Helping us price your survey
We will normally ask about:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The property’s address and postcode
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine. To send them or to book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Roof by roof
Natural slate
Good slate is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings, but the nails holding it corrode long before that. When slates start to slip, corroded nails are frequently the reason, and we note how widespread it looks.
Flat roofs
A flat roof that has been coated over several times may hide problems underneath. We say when the covering would need opening up to know more.
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take an hour or two at the house you’re buying, depending on its size and how much of the roof can be seen. For a village or hamlet like West Barnham, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the roof space and look at the roof from windows.
- The report is emailed with photos and recommendations, ready to use before exchange.
How to prepare
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A lot can be seen from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
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.
What a pre-purchase roof survey doesn’t cover
A survey is a proper look at the roof, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Defects hidden under coverings or inside walls without opening up
- Asbestos testing of any kind
- Walls, floors, services and rooms below the roof
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Gutters and downpipes
- Clay and concrete tiles
- The roof space
- Natural slate
Local roofs and buyers in West Barnham
West Barnham lies within about 4 miles of the sea, where wind off the sea can be strong. A small drone cannot fly safely in strong wind or heavy rain, so the weather on the day decides whether a flight goes ahead. If your home is older, it’s worth knowing whether it is listed or in a conservation area before planning roof work. Listed building consent covers changes to a listed building’s special interest, and an Article 4 direction can bring extra controls in a conservation area.
If you live in an older home near The Parish Church of St Mary, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them. If you own a rental within reach of Barnham station, a written report helps before buying a rental or paying for a new roof on one.
West Barnham is about 4 miles north-east of Bognor Regis, in West Sussex. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in West Barnham can all book pre-purchase roof surveys, with a written report and photographs every time. West Barnham is one of the places in West Sussex we cover for pre-purchase roof surveys. Portsmouth is in our area too.
Surveys in PO22 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you need a pre-purchase roof survey at a property on Woodside, Orchard Way and Paddocks or anywhere close by, we can help. Main roads around West Barnham include the B2233. If you are just outside West Barnham, we cover Barnham (1 mile south-east), Eastergate (1 mile north-west), Walberton (1 mile north-east), Westergate (1 mile west) and Fontwell (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover Worthing (11 miles east), Bognor Regis (4 miles south-west), Chichester (6 miles west), Selsey (9 miles south-west), Littlehampton (5 miles east) and Lancing (14 miles east).
Around West Barnham
Around West Barnham, our work takes us to homes and buildings near St Philip Howard Catholic High School and The Murrell Arms, among other places. West Barnham has its own railway station: Barnham station. Well-known places in the area include Tote Copse Castle (2.2 miles west) and Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital (3.3 miles south-west). The countryside around West Barnham includes WWT Arundel.