East Sussex · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Wickstreet
Wondering about the roof at a property in Wickstreet? We carry out pre-purchase roof surveys in Wickstreet and across East Sussex, with plain-English findings.
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
Pre-purchase roof survey in Wickstreet: what you get
Book after your offer is accepted and before exchange. At that point you can still ask questions, while you are not yet committed. We survey 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 clay and concrete tiles, the roof space and gutters and downpipes, and common reasons people get in touch are standing water on a flat extension roof and signs of past leaks inside the loft.
In a village or hamlet like Wickstreet, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses alongside a few newer houses. Village roofs can be clay tile, slate, stone or even thatch on some older buildings. Whether you are buying or have just had a roof replaced, each material has its own checks. What’s under the coverings, from old felt to the battens and nails, matters too.
Where we can’t see part of the roof, the report says so. That way, it’s clear what was covered and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Where
- Wickstreet (BN26)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Honest limits
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- Anything beyond the roof, which a full home survey covers
- How a seller will respond, or what the house is worth
- Faults hidden behind ceilings, boards or coverings
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Gutters and downpipes
- Natural slate
- The roof space
- Clay and concrete tiles
- Flat-roofed extensions and dormers
- Lead flashings and valleys
- Chimney stacks
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What we do, step by step
Photographs are taken throughout the visit, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it’s applicable and the weather allows. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours at a typical house, with time for the loft where it can be reached. In a small place like Wickstreet, access is usually 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.
- After your offer is agreed, you book and share your timetable.
- Access to the house and the loft space is agreed in advance.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- Inside, we check the loft space and look at the roof from windows.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Before the survey
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Let us know about parking before the day
Book a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Advice
Before and after the survey
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Ask whether there are papers for past roof work
- Let us know your exchange date when booking
- Find out whether the roof has been replaced or patched
- Check the lease for roof repair responsibilities
Your report arrives by email, with photographs of what we found. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium. Each defect is explained in plain words, and recommendations are ranked by urgency where that helps.
Look in the loft now and then, with care and a good torch. Damp patches, daylight through the roof or water stains on timbers are worth noting. Photos help if you later need a roofer or another survey.
Roof by roof
Gutters and parapets
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter, normally to the back of the house. If the home you’re buying has one, that gutter and its outlet get a careful look.
Clay and concrete tiles
Clay plain tiles are common on older South East homes, and some still have peg tiles. Where pegs have rotted, tiles can slip.
Questions from Wickstreet
Is my home in Wickstreet listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Do you cover smaller places like Wickstreet?
Yes. Wickstreet is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed when booking.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if the building owner or managing agent agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to.
Do you need to go inside the property?
Where possible, yes. We look in the roof space where there is safe access, and views from upper windows help too. Access is usually arranged through the agent or seller.
How do I arrange a pre-purchase roof survey in Wickstreet?
Simply call 07833 053749 or email us with the address. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Does your survey replace a RICS home survey?
No. It is a dedicated roof survey, and you get a written report with photos. It doesn’t cover the rest of the property, which a RICS survey does.
Wickstreet homes and their roofs
About 1.2 miles east lies Michelham Priory, a reminder of how long the area around Wickstreet has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest.
Landlords with a home close to Berwick (Sussex) station may find that the roof is worth checking before you add another property to a portfolio or pay a roofer in full. For an older house near a landmark such as The Parish Church of St Pancras, older patch repairs can hide behind a tidy front slope, and the survey looks past them.
Wickstreet is about 3 miles west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. Wherever you are in Wickstreet, we can come and survey your property. We cover towns and villages across East Sussex, large and small. Our Brighton page covers surveys nearby.
All of BN26 is covered for pre-purchase roof surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Close by, we survey roofs in Arlington (1 mile south), Berwick (2 miles south-west), Ripe (2 miles north-west), Selmeston (2 miles south-west) and Golden Cross (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (7 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (12 miles east), Seaford (7 miles south-west), Lewes (8 miles west), Hailsham (3 miles east) and Crowborough (13 miles north).
What’s near Wickstreet
We work in homes and buildings around Park Mead Primary School and The Plough Inn, among other places. Wickstreet’s nearest station is Berwick (Sussex) station, roughly 1.5 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include Drusillas Museum (2.8 miles south) and Burlough Castle (2.9 miles south). Not far away are Firle Beacon.
Nearby places to Wickstreet
What else we do in Wickstreet
Landlords, agents and block managers in Wickstreet
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps when budgeting.
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 booking and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.