West Sussex · London and the South East
Roof leak investigation in Hickstead, West Sussex
We take a careful look at the leaking roof at your property in Hickstead, with photographs and a written report.
- Damp walls below an overflowing gutter
- Damp underlay across a wide area
- Wet patches on loft insulation
Roof leak investigation in Hickstead
The aim is to find where the water is getting in and explain it. You get a written report with photos showing the likely entry point and the route the water is taking, plus recommendations on what needs attention. It gives any roofer a clear brief. We find and report the source, and the repair itself is a separate job. If you are worried about water coming in around a roof light or dormer and damp on a chimney breast, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on valleys and parapet gutters, chimney stacks and slate and tile slopes alike.
Being in a small place like Hickstead makes no difference to how a leak or storm damage is looked at: the journey and access are just planned ahead of time. Tell us where the water shows, when it appears and anything you’ve noticed outside, along with any repairs done before. Photographs of the stain and of the roof from outside are helpful too.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Location
- Hickstead (RH17, BN6)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Some tips:
- Take dated photos of the leak
- Put a bucket under the drip and move valuables
- Tell us if there are tanks or pipes in the loft
- Let us know what has already been tried
Where we find more than one possible route, we say which is most likely and why. We say which items need prompt attention, so you know what to deal with first.
After a storm, check the roof from the garden and the street. Pieces of slate or tile in the garden mean something has moved. Small faults dealt with quickly rarely become leaks.
DIY checks: what’s safe
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Questions from Hickstead
Is Hickstead in the area you cover?
We do. Every survey there gets the same written report with photos, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Do you cover smaller places like Hickstead?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. Photographs are part of every report.
Why is not the leak directly above the stain?
Water follows the easiest path, not the shortest. On a flat roof it can travel under the covering before it finds a way through the ceiling. Tracing that path is the heart of a leak investigation.
Can you always find the source?
We cannot promise it. Water can travel a long way, and some leaks only show in particular storms. If we can’t be sure, the report ranks the possible sources.
Is thermal imaging part of a leak investigation?
Thermal imaging is used where it’s useful, and it’s part of the Premium Survey. It picks up temperature patterns rather than water, so anything it suggests is checked with moisture readings.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect what can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the roof space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
What we do, step by step
After the inspection, everything we found is written up in a report with photographs, sent to you by email. As for time on site, it typically takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, though a hard-to-trace leak can take longer. Around Hickstead, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it’s useful to know whether there is a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- We help you choose the package that suits the leak.
- We agree a date, including weekends.
- The investigation works from the stain back to the roof.
- Moisture detection and thermal imaging are used where your package includes them and they help.
- You get photos, the likely cause and clear recommendations.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Booking a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Take them safely from ground level or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Water from a failed flashing can travel down the wall or along a rafter. We check every flashing that could feed the stain.
Flat roof upstands and outlets
Each flat roof relies on its outlets to drain. When one blocks, water ponds and finds any weak spot. Outlets and the area around them are looked at.
What we can’t see
It’s useful to know what a survey will not do before booking:
- Carrying out the fix
- A promise to find every leak on a single visit
- What’s under the covering or behind the plaster
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Hickstead
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Flat roof details
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Rooflights and dormers
- Slate and tile slopes
- Lead flashings
Places near Hickstead
More services for Hickstead
Why it’s worth a survey now in Hickstead
If a leak has been ‘fixed’ before and has come back, the cause was probably missed. A careful investigation looks at every likely route, not just the obvious one. It gives the next repair a far better chance. For an older or listed building in a place like Hickstead, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
To find out what your survey will cost, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details. We’ll confirm the figure before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Hickstead
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- 98% customer satisfaction
- A photo-illustrated written report
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or our case studies.
Wind, rain and roofs in Hickstead
Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs. Different coverings let water in at different points, which shapes where the search starts. About 3.4 miles north-east lies Ockenden Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Hickstead has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
If you look after a building such as Twineham CofE Primary School, water through a big roof can travel a long way before it drips, so the search covers more than the obvious spot. The streets around a church like The Parish Church of St Peter are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, old mortar, worn lead and slipped slates are the usual suspects when water gets in. If you let a flat or house near Burgess Hill station, a clear finding on where water gets in helps you brief a roofer straight away.
Hickstead is about 3 miles west of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. Hickstead is part of the area we cover across London and South East England. Our West Sussex coverage includes Hickstead. Our Brighton page covers surveys nearby.
Surveys in RH17 and BN6 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We also cover the places around Hickstead: Goddards Green (1 mile east), Sayers Common (1 mile south), Abbotsford (2 miles east), Ansty (2 miles north-east) and Hurstpierpoint (2 miles south). Further out, we also cover Crawley (10 miles north), Horsham (9 miles north-west), Worthing (13 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (3 miles east) and East Grinstead (14 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Hickstead
We work in homes and buildings around St Paul's Catholic College and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Burgess Hill station, about 3.1 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include The Dene Hospital (1.3 miles east) and Clayton Castle (4.6 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Wolstonbury Hill and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.