Isle of Wight · London and the South East
Roof Leak Investigation in Lake
Find out what’s going on with the leaking roof before you decide what to do next. Roof leak investigations in Lake.
- Drips in the loft during heavy rain
- Brown rings on upstairs ceilings
- Water through the ceiling under a flat roof
How a roof leak investigation works in Lake
Moisture readings and thermal imaging are used where they’re useful. Moisture detection confirms where timbers, plaster or insulation are damp. A thermal camera shows patterns of temperature rather than water, so we confirm what it suggests with moisture readings. Moisture detection is included in the Standard Survey, and thermal imaging in Premium. The best thermal results come after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. If you’ve noticed staining around the chimney inside and staining where a gutter or parapet meets the wall, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Houses in smaller places like Lake can stand more in the open, where driving rain gets into any gap at a ridge, verge or flashing. A leak that only appears in certain weather often points to an exposed detail. It helps to know when and where the water appears. The gutters on the most exposed side can overflow too.
The report doesn’t just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Where
- Lake (PO36, PO37)
- Wider area
- Isle of Wight
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Parapet and box gutters
A butterfly roof drains to a central valley gutter. Problems there often show in the rooms on the top floor.
Slate and tile slopes
On slate roofs, corroded nails let slates slip. One slipped slate can be enough to cause a leak, especially in driving rain.
Also in Lake
Honest limits
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Carrying out the fix
- Structural calculations (that’s a structural engineer’s job)
- Leaks from plumbing, tanks or pipework rather than the roof
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Flat roof details
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Chimney stacks
- The roof space
- Rooflights and dormers
- Slate and tile slopes
- Lead flashings
Lake: your questions answered
Is my home in Lake listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is Lake within the area you cover?
Yes, Lake is covered. We work right across London and South East England, from towns to the smallest villages. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
Will you fix the leak as part of this?
A leak investigation finds and reports the likely source. The repair itself is a separate job. You get a report with photos showing where the water is getting in and what needs attention, which whoever carries out the work can follow.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. We’ll talk about access as you book.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we’ll recommend one.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where it applies cover most of what’s needed, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Lake
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Leaks and storm damage in Lake
Lake is within about 1 mile of the coast, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and driving rain finds any gap they leave, while salt slowly corrodes metal fixings and flashings. A number of the island’s villages keep thatched roofs on older buildings, and nowhere on the island is far from the sea. Each of these roof types has its own typical places for water to get in.
If you look after a building such as Broadlea Primary School, tracing a leak on a big roof starts with where the water appears and works back. Rylstone Manor, about 1.7 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Lake. Leaks in period homes nearby often come from lead work and valleys that have been patched before. If you live in an older home near Church of The Good Shepherd, water on an older roof tends to find its way in at the lead, the valleys or the chimney.
Lake is about 1 mile south-west of Sandown, in the Isle of Wight. Surveys in Lake work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Lake is one of the places in the Isle of Wight where we work. You can also see our page for Portsmouth.
We cover every part of the PO36 and PO37 postcode area for roof leak investigations and the streets around it. That includes homes and businesses on Lea Road, New Road and Percy Road. Being close to the A3055, Lake is easy for us to reach. Neighbouring places we cover for roof leak investigations include Sandown (1 mile north-east), Alverstone (1 mile north-west), Queen's Bower (1 mile north-west), Shanklin (1 mile south) and Alverstone Garden Village (1 mile north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Newport (7 miles north-west), Ryde (5 miles north), Cowes (10 miles north-west), Ventnor (4 miles south-west), East Cowes (9 miles north-west) and Oakfield (5 miles north). For harder-to-reach addresses, a little more planning is needed, so let us know when you contact us.
What’s near Lake
Around Lake, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Sandown Bay Academy, The Old Comical pub and The Bay Church of England School. There is a railway station in Lake itself: Lake station. Nearby you’ll also find National Poo Museum (less than half a mile east) and Arthur Webster Memorial Hospital for Children (1.2 miles south-west). For a walk, there is Brading Down and Alverstone Mead.
Useful tips for Lake property owners
You do not need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Leave roof access to professionals
- Let us know if there are tanks or pipes in the loft
- Catch drips in a bucket and protect the floor
- Write down the wind direction and rain when it leaks
Keep the report after the work is done. If water appears again, it shows what was found before, which makes the next step quicker.
Keep gutters, valleys and outlets clear, ideally once the leaves have fallen. Blocked outlets on parapet and flat roofs cause many leaks. Leave the clearing to someone with the right equipment.
How it works
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. Most surveys take an hour or two for most houses, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. For a survey in Lake, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- We start with your notes and photos of the leak.
- Inside, we look at the stain and the ceiling around it.
- In the loft, we follow any signs of water back towards the roof.
- Outside, we check flashings, valleys, chimneys, gutters and flat roof details from each safe vantage point.
- We email a written report showing where the water most likely gets in.
How to prepare
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
Arrange a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.