West Sussex · London and the South East
Roof leak investigation in West Dean, West Sussex
Roof leak investigations in West Dean, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Staining around the chimney inside
- Water through the ceiling under a flat roof
- Stains around a skylight
How a roof leak investigation works in West Dean
Not every drip is a leak. In a badly ventilated roof space, condensation can form under the roof and drip, and the stains look much like a leak. Telling the two apart matters, since the cure for one won’t solve the other. The pattern of the damp, the ventilation and the timing all help us decide. If you are worried about staining where a gutter or parapet meets the wall and damp underlay across a wide area, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Roofs in small places like West Dean frequently stand in the open, so storms hit ridges, verges and chimneys hard. Once water gets into older walls, it takes a long time to dry, which makes finding the cause quickly worthwhile. A written record also helps if you need to explain it to anyone else.
After the visit, you get a photo-illustrated written report, sent by email. It explains the condition of the leaking roof, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- West Dean (PO18)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in West Dean
Is West Dean within the area you cover?
Yes, West Dean is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Is my home in West Dean listed or in a conservation area?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling are not something we do. Where a material might contain it, like old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
Will I get photos?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found, so you can see each point for yourself.
How do I book a survey in West Dean?
Just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date, weekday or weekend.
Is there anything I need to do before the visit?
Note when the leak appears and what the weather was doing, and take photos. Clear access to the loft. Keep away from any light or socket that water is reaching.
Can you always find the source?
We cannot promise to find every leak on one visit. Most leave clues we can follow, but intermittent leaks that need particular weather can be harder. We report what we found and the likeliest sources.
What this survey cannot tell you
Some things can’t be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Faults hidden behind ceilings or boarding
- Water from pipes, tanks or heating systems
- A structural engineer’s report
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Lead flashings
- The roof space
- Chimney stacks
- Flat roof details
- Valleys and parapet gutters
- Slate and tile slopes
- Rooflights and dormers
What you can safely check yourself
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery. That’s where a survey comes in.
West Dean roofs and the weather
Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Where water gets in depends a good deal on what the roof is made of and how it’s detailed. About 0.1 miles north-east lies West Dean House, a reminder of how long the area around West Dean has been built on. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If you look after a building such as West Dean CofE Primary School, on a building that size, finding the source of a drip means looking well beyond the stain. If you let a flat or house near Fishbourne station, tracing a leak quickly matters when a tenant is living with it.
West Dean is about 4 miles north of Chichester, in West Sussex. Whether the building in West Dean is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. We cover towns and villages across West Sussex, large and small. We also survey roofs in Portsmouth.
Every address in PO18 is within our area for roof leak investigations, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We also cover the places around West Dean: Singleton (1 mile east), Charlton (2 miles east), East Dean (3 miles east), Cocking (3 miles north) and Bepton (4 miles north). Larger places within reach include Bognor Regis (9 miles south-east), Chichester (4 miles south), Selsey (12 miles south), Littlehampton (13 miles south-east), Emsworth (8 miles south-west) and Rustington (13 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in West Dean
For rail, the closest station is Fishbourne station, roughly 4.8 miles south of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Chichester Castle (4.5 miles south) and Museum of Gardening (less than half a mile north-east). Green spaces nearby include Levin Down and Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve.
When to book a survey in West Dean
Flat roofs fail with age and wear. A felt roof often lasts around 15 to 20 years, and as it ages it splits, blisters and opens at the laps. Upstands and outlets are common weak points.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Ceiling stains that grow after rain
- Drips in the loft during heavy rain
- Staining around the chimney inside
- Drips from nail tips in a cold loft
For an older house near a landmark such as The Parish Church of St Andrew, lead flashings, valleys and old chimneys are typical places for water to get in.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- Their insurance cover
- What they will not be able to tell you
- What happens after the report arrives
- Whether VAT is added on top
What we do, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect whatever is safely visible, and anything we can’t see is noted in the report. The survey normally takes roughly 1–2 hours, more where the leak is intermittent or the roof is large. Somewhere like West Dean needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- You pick a Basic, Standard or Premium Survey.
- A visit is booked for a weekday, Saturday or Sunday.
- We inspect inside and out, starting from the stain.
- Moisture detection and thermal imaging are used where your package includes them and they help.
- The report explains the likely entry point and what needs attention.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
Arrange a survey
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email when you’re ready.
Advice
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used instead of lead. They crack as the roof and wall move, and water runs down behind them.
Slate and tile slopes
On slate roofs, corroded nails let slates slip. One slipped slate can be enough to cause a leak.
Other services in West Dean
Useful tips for West Dean property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Stay off ladders and the roof
- Move stored items away from the hatch
- Keep water away from lights and sockets
- Record whether it leaks in every downpour or only some
Keep the report after the work is done. If the leak returns, it’s a useful record of what was found.
Have flashings and flat roofs looked at every few years. They’re where most leaks start, and wear is easier to deal with before water gets in.