You have finally had an offer accepted, on a Regency flat in Brighton, a flint cottage under the South Downs or a family house in Horsham, and now everything hinges on the survey. Meanwhile the seller wants pace, your lender wants a valuation, or a worrying damp patch has appeared since your second viewing. Sussex properties, especially coastal and period ones, can hide expensive problems behind attractive facades. Our RICS chartered surveyors cover the whole county, inspect promptly and report in plain English, so you find out what you are really buying before it is too late to act.
Sussex spans two counties and an extraordinary range of buildings, and we survey across both: Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Eastbourne, Hastings and the coastal strip; Chichester, Horsham, Crawley, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill inland; and Lewes, Arundel and the Downland villages between. Each brings distinct issues. Seafront Regency and Victorian terraces suffer salt-laden weathering, failing stucco and corroding cavity wall ties; bungalow belts along the coast conceal post-war shortcuts; Wealden clay drives seasonal movement inland; and the county’s timber-framed Wealden hall houses, flint cottages and listed town houses in Lewes and Chichester demand genuine period-property expertise. Crawley’s post-war New Town stock and modern estates around Gatwick raise entirely different questions, from non-traditional construction to aircraft noise. As an independent RICS-regulated firm with no ties to agents, developers or lenders, we bring this breadth of Sussex experience to every instruction and give you advice that serves your interests alone.
Across East and West Sussex we deliver RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer surveys for conventional houses and flats, and RICS Level 3 building surveys for the period, coastal, listed and altered properties that make up so much of the county’s stock; if you are weighing up which to choose, our guide to building survey costs explains what each level involves and what you should expect to pay. For Regency terraces, flint and timber-framed buildings we almost always recommend the fuller Level 3 building survey, which examines construction and defects in depth. We also provide RICS Red Book valuations for probate, tax and matrimonial purposes, party wall advice for extensions in Brighton and Hove’s tightly packed streets, and focused damp and defect investigations, invaluable where sea spray, blocked stucco details or hidden timber decay are suspected. The process is straightforward: a fixed same-day quotation, an inspection usually within days anywhere in the county, then a photograph-supported report grading each defect by urgency, with realistic repair guidance and negotiation ammunition. Your surveyor is available afterwards by phone to discuss the findings for as long as you need.
Buyers relocating from London to Brighton, Lewes and the coast, retirees purchasing in Worthing and Eastbourne, owners of listed and flint properties across the Downs, and solicitors needing probate valuations all instruct us across Sussex. They stay with us because our reports are clear and honest, turnaround is quick even in busy markets, and RICS regulation stands behind every piece of work. Before you choose a surveyor, we would genuinely encourage you to read our client reviews online.
Yes. We take instructions throughout both counties, including Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Chichester, Horsham, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Lewes, Uckfield, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings, as well as the rural villages of the South Downs and the Weald. Our surveyors travel to the property rather than serving a single town, so wherever your purchase or problem lies in Sussex, send the address and we will confirm cover with a same-day quotation.
Coastal exposure accelerates decay. We commonly find cracked and hollow stucco or render trapping moisture against solid walls, corroded cavity wall ties from salt-laden air, weathered parapets and balconies, rotten sash windows on exposed elevations, and roofing damage from onshore gales. In converted Regency and Victorian buildings, poor past conversions add structural and damp complications. None of these need kill a purchase, but they can be costly, which is why a thorough survey and repair-cost perspective matter before exchange.
We can usually inspect within a few working days of instruction, subject to access, and deliver most reports three to five working days after the visit. Larger period or listed buildings can take slightly longer because there is simply more to record. If you are up against an exchange deadline anywhere in Sussex, tell us when you enquire; we can often prioritise the inspection and follow up with a phone summary of headline findings ahead of the written report.
Get certainty before you commit. Use our quick online form to request your free quote for any survey or valuation across East or West Sussex. There is no obligation, and we respond the same day with a fixed fee and earliest inspection date.