Brighton and Hove · London and the South East
Brighton Thermal Roof Survey
Thermal imaging to find moisture and heat loss patterns in a roof in Brighton, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Heat escaping through the roof
- Missing or slipped insulation
- Wet areas near outlets and upstands
What you can safely check yourself
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 do not climb up for a closer look.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, which helps when we look at the roof.
Thermal roof survey in Brighton: what you get
On a flat roof, wet insulation holds heat longer than dry insulation. So a wet patch can show as a warmer or cooler area on the camera. This can give an idea of how far water has travelled beneath the membrane, which is hard to judge by eye. Moisture readings are then used to check what the camera suggests. We’re often asked to look into damp patches with no obvious cause and water getting in at parapets and stacks, on insulated roof spaces, commercial roofs and loft conversions.
Conditions on the day matter: drones cannot fly safely in strong wind or a downpour, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day with a dry roof and little wind. In Brighton, as anywhere, the forecast plays a part in when the visit happens, and it can move if conditions change. A look inside the loft space can go ahead whatever the forecast.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Brighton (BN1, BN2, BN3)
- Region
- Brighton and Hove
- Cost
- From £400 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roof by roof
Loft insulation
Insulation often gets moved during work in the loft. Thermal images can show where it has been pushed aside.
Single-ply and EPDM roofs
Many single-ply and EPDM roofs sit on insulation boards. Wet boards can show as temperature differences on the images.
Do you need a thermal roof survey in Brighton?
Building owners and managing agents use thermal surveys to plan work on larger flat roofs. Patterns can point to wet areas and show which parts look sound, so moisture readings can be targeted.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Patches of heat loss across the roof
- Stains that keep coming back
- Areas of a flat roof that may hold water
- Cold spots on ceilings under the roof
Take a building like Fairlight Primary School: a drone or thermal camera can show a large roof in a single visit.
Before you book anyone
- What experience they bring
- What the survey will not cover
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- How soon the report will arrive
Your questions about thermal roof surveys in Brighton
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Brighton?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
How should I get ready for a visit in Brighton?
It’s useful to clear access to the loft, and to let us know about leaks, damp patches or recent work. Parking and access details for Brighton help us plan the visit.
How does a thermal imaging roof survey work?
It records surface temperature across the roof. Unusual patterns can point to trapped water, gaps in insulation or heat escaping, which we then check with moisture readings.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. Our sub-250g drone is flown by a CAA-registered operator with a Flyer ID and Operator ID, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Are you insured?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Tell us which days suit you when booking.
How long will you be at the property?
Time on site depends on the roof, but most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, plus time to check any thermal findings with moisture readings. The written report follows by email.
Also near Brighton
Also in Brighton
Flying and imaging in Brighton
Brighton lies within about 1 mile of the sea. Calm, dry conditions after a sunny day suit thermal imaging best, so the visit is planned around the forecast. The wider area around Brighton has a long history of building, with Royal Pavilion about 0.8 miles south-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For an older house near a landmark like St Martin's Church, thin or patchy insulation under an old roof frequently shows up clearly on a thermal image. Shop and office owners around Churchill Square may find that thermal images can show trapped moisture across a wide commercial roof.
Brighton is in Brighton and Hove. We survey roofs in Brighton and the rest of Brighton and Hove, as part of our work across London and the South East. Across Brighton and Hove, we cover Brighton.
We cover every part of BN1, BN2 and BN3 for thermal roof surveys and the streets around it. We cover properties on London Road, Isetta Square and Pelham Square and the roads around them. Main roads around Brighton include the A23 and A259. Neighbouring places we cover for thermal roof surveys include Hanover (1 mile south), Carlton Hill (1 mile south), West Hill (1 mile west), Hollingdean (1 mile north) and Seven Dials (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include Brighton and Hove (3 miles west), Aldrington (3 miles west), Hangleton (3 miles west), Saltdean (4 miles south-east), East Saltdean (5 miles south-east) and Rottingdean (3 miles south-east). Brighton is one of the larger places we cover in Brighton and Hove.
Near you in Brighton
In Brighton, that means homes and buildings near Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, William Clarke Park and Park Crescent pub and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Brighton itself: London Road (Brighton) station. A little further out are Brighton General Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Old Police Cells Museum (1 mile south-west). Green spaces nearby include Newmarket Hill and Whitehawk Hill.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Trapped water can harm decks, timbers and ceilings the longer it stays. Surveying sooner gives you more choice about what to do. For a shop, office or block in Brighton, a roof leak can mean closed rooms, damaged stock or unhappy residents. Planned work is far easier to manage than an emergency.
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Why book with us
- Package prices that include VAT
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Brighton
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
The survey, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photos as we go and record our findings for the written report. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Town-centre streets in Brighton can mean pay-and-display or permit parking, so a word about where to park saves time. Inside, the loft and any room with a stain are the places we will want to see. Outside, we work round the building to find the safe viewpoints.
- First we go over the roof, the problem you’ve noticed and the conditions forecast for the visit.
- We carry out a visual inspection of the roof from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Thermal images are taken to show differences in surface temperature.
- Areas that look unusual on the camera are checked with moisture readings where possible.
- The report sets out the images, what they suggest and what we recommend.
Preparing for the visit
- Tell us about parking before the day
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Getting a price
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.