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Commercial roofing in Worthing

Leaking warehouse sheets, tired shop flats, rusting profiled roofs and blocked box gutters: we trace the fault on commercial and industrial roofs across Worthing and West Sussex, photograph it, and put a written quote in your hands.

Get a quoteCall 01903 299063
Coastal industrial unit with a profiled metal roof and rooflights
  • Leaks traced
    to the source
  • Photos of
    your own roof
  • Written quote,
    one total price
  • 10-year workmanship
    guarantee, in writing

What we do on commercial roofs

  • Industrial and warehouse roofs

    Profiled metal and fibre cement sheets on units, workshops and warehouses: leaks at laps and fixings, failed sealant, corroded sheets and damaged translucent panels, repaired or replaced.

  • Flat roofs on shops and offices

    Felt, single-ply and liquid-applied coverings on shop extensions, offices and the roofs over flats: splits, ponding, failed upstands and outlets, patched or re-covered.

  • Overlay and replacement

    Where the deck is sound, a new covering laid over the old; where it is not, a full strip and roofing installation with new falls and new outlets.

  • Rooflights, gutters and outlets

    Cracked rooflights, box gutters, parapet gutters and rainwater outlets cleared, relined or renewed, so water leaves the roof where it was designed to go.

  • Surveys and planned maintenance

    Condition surveys with photographs, then planned visits to clear gutters and outlets, check sealant and fixings, and report faults before they reach stock or ceilings.

  • Emergency make-safe work

    Sheeting lifted in a gale, a holed roof sheet, water running onto stock: we prioritise leaks and storm damage, secure the roof before anything else, then plan the lasting repair.

Brown water stain spreading across a white bedroom ceiling near the window

Signs a commercial roof needs attention

  • Stained ceiling tiles after rain
  • Water pooling on the flat roof
  • Rusting or lifting metal sheets
  • Cracked or yellowed rooflights
  • Overflowing gutters and downpipes

Typical UK costs for commercial roof work

Typical UK price ranges
JobUK range
Torch-on felt flat roof, per m²£70 to £100
EPDM flat roof, per m²£90 to £130
GRP flat roof, per m²£95 to £150
Roof inspection or survey£150 to £500
Profiled metal or cement sheet roofpriced on survey

These are national guide figures for flat roofs, and a large or sheeted roof moves well outside them. Your own price follows the survey, in writing, once we have been up on the roof. Source: MyBuilder flat roof cost guide and roof inspection cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

How a commercial roof job runs

  1. Brief and accessCall 01903 299063 or send a WhatsApp with the building, the leak, your trading hours and any photographs of stains or the roof from the ground.
  2. Survey and photographsWe inspect the roof surface, rooflights, gutters and outlets, then the ceiling or lining below, and photograph each fault with a note of what we found.
  3. A written quoteOne total price arrives in writing, with the repair, overlay or replacement we recommend, why it suits this roof, and any phasing it needs around your staff.
  4. Works and handoverWe keep walkways and loading areas clear while we work, photograph the finished roof, leave the site clear and carry the waste off.

The commercial roofing guide

Reading a commercial roof before anyone touches it

The roof types we meet, how leaks are traced, when to overlay or replace, asbestos and safety, coastal wear, and what the work typically costs.

Roofers in harnesses fixing new profiled roof sheets on an industrial unit

Chapter one

Industrial units, shops and flats: roof types

Most commercial roofs belong to a few families, and each family leaks, ages and is repaired in its own way.

A commercial roof is a roof on a building that is not someone's home, and in Worthing that covers a wide spread. Trading estates hold warehouses and workshops under long profiled sheets. The high streets of Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea and Littlehampton have shops with flat extensions at the back and slate or tile above the upper floors. Offices, surgeries, schools, blocks of flats and village halls add their own mix. Knowing which family a roof belongs to is the first step in working out how it fails and what a sound repair looks like.

At a glance

  • Profiled sheets, flat membranes and pitched coverings dominate
  • Flat roofs typically last 15 to 30 years
  • The covering decides how a fault is repaired
Seafront block of flats with flat roofs overlooking the shingle beach
Seafront block of flats with flat roofs overlooking the shingle beach

1.1 Profiled metal and cement sheets

Industrial units are usually covered with profiled sheets of steel, aluminium or fibre cement, fixed to purlins, the horizontal beams that span between the building's frames. Water gets in at the laps where sheets overlap, at the fixings that pierce them, at the ridge flashings and around every rooflight. Single skin sheets have nothing behind them, so condensation forms on the underside and drips onto stock, which is easy to mistake for a leak. Built-up sheets have insulation between two skins, and a wet core can sit unseen until the lining stains. Sheets that have rusted at their edges and fixings are a recurring cause of leaks; our guide to cut edge corrosion shows what it looks like.

Seafront block of flats with flat roofs overlooking the shingle beach
Seafront block of flats with flat roofs overlooking the shingle beach

1.2 Flat roof membranes

Shop extensions, offices and the roofs above flats often carry a flat covering. That might be built-up or torch-on felt, a single sheet of EPDM (a synthetic rubber) or PVC, a GRP laminate (glass-reinforced plastic, cast wet and set hard), or lead or zinc on prestige buildings. Each is mended differently. Felt is patched with new felt on a cleaned surface, EPDM with the maker's primer and tape, GRP by grinding back the crack and laminating again, and PVC by welding on a patch. When a whole membrane has gone brittle or the deck beneath is soft, patching only moves the leak along, and the choice shifts to a new covering. Our flat roofing page covers coverings in full, and the guide to types of commercial roof sets out the options side by side.

Flat roof coverings: typical life as published

CoveringTypical life
Torch-on felt10 to 20 years
EPDM rubber20 to 30 years or more
GRP fibreglass25 to 40 years
Lead50 to 100 years
Zinc60 to 100 years
Source: Less flat roof cost guide (March 2026); GreenSpec single-ply membranes; HomeBuilding zinc roofs; fetched October 2026

Which family a roof belongs to decides how it fails and how it is mended.

1.3 Pitched roofs above shops, pubs and halls

Older commercial buildings often carry slate or clay tile above ground-floor trade, and the repairs follow the pitched rules in our pitched roofing work. Church and village hall roofs add a consent question. Churches in use by the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Methodist Church, Baptist Union or United Reformed Church fall under the ecclesiastical exemption, while a redundant church needs listed building consent, as our note on church and village hall roof repairs explains.

Chapter two

Tracing a leak on a commercial roof

Water on a warehouse floor or a shop ceiling is the end of a journey that may start metres away along a lap or gutter.

Roofer measuring along a weathered clay ridge, the sea beyond the rooftops
Roofer measuring along a weathered clay ridge, the sea beyond the rooftops

When a stain appears on a ceiling tile or a drip lands on a pallet, the temptation is to send someone straight to the roof above it. That often fixes nothing. On a sheeted roof, water that gets past a lap runs down the inside face of the sheet, along a purlin and over a bolt before it finally drips, so the visible wet patch can be some distance from the way in. On a flat roof it can slide along the deck under the membrane, then find a joint in the ceiling. A roof repair that starts at the stain is a guess, and a guess is how the same leak returns after the next band of rain.

At a glance

  • Water travels along sheet laps and purlins first
  • Condensation on bare sheets can mimic a leak
  • We survey inside and out before any repair is quoted

Note Gradual damage is a common policy exclusion, the Financial Ombudsman Service notes, so a slow drip is weighed differently from a storm.

2.1 Where the water comes in

We begin inside, looking at the wettest point, any tide marks on insulation or lining, and the line of the sheets or joists above. Then we go outside and follow that line uphill. On industrial roofs the usual suspects are the laps and fixings, the flashings at ridges and walls, the edges of rooflights, cracked or yellowed translucent panels, and gutters that overflow back under the sheeting. On flat roofs we look at splits, blisters, failed upstands where the membrane turns up a wall, the joints round outlets, and any plant or pipework that goes through the covering. Each leaves its own trail, and we photograph the cause on the roof and the damage below it. Our guide on a roof leaking in a shop or office covers what to do in the meantime.

2.2 When it is condensation

Warm, damp air from a kitchen, a process or simply a heated workspace condenses on cold bare metal and drips. The pattern is different from a leak: it appears on cold mornings, spreads evenly across a slope, and has no link to rain. If that is the cause, the answer is ventilation, lining or a change of covering rather than a patch, and the quote reflects that. A condition survey that records these differences also gives you a record to work from. The commercial roof condition survey guide explains what a good one includes.

A leak survey on a commercial roof

  1. Inside We record stains, wet insulation and drips, and mark the highest wet point.
  2. Surface We check laps, fixings, flashings, rooflights and membranes uphill of that point.
  3. Drainage We clear and test gutters, outlets and downpipes that feed the area.
  4. Proof We photograph each fault so the quote is written against evidence.

If water is coming in over stock or machinery, move what you can, keep clear of any bulging ceiling, and call. Our emergency roof repairs page explains how we secure a leaking roof before the lasting repair. If the loss may be insured, read your own policy wording before permanent work starts: Which? notes that water getting in through a poorly maintained roof is the kind of case insurers treat as wear and tear. Keep photographs of the damage and the roof.

Row of concrete sectional garages with weathered grey corrugated roofs

Chapter three

Overlay, replacement or refurbishment: choosing the job

When a roof has failed in many places, the cost effective answer is rarely another patch, but it is not always a full strip either.

Good advice is the least work that cures the fault for good. A commercial roof with one failed lap or a cracked rooflight needs a repair. A roof with leaks in six places, soft areas underfoot and wet insulation is telling you the covering has reached the end. We show you the photographs that support either conclusion, then explain the realistic routes: a repair that buys time, a refurbishment, an overlay or a full replacement.

At a glance

  • An overlay suits a sound deck and sound sheeting
  • Flat roofs are designed at 1:40 to finish at 1:80
  • Insulation and fire performance can bring building control in

Note Where a heavier covering means strengthening the structure, Approved Document A classes that work as a material alteration (para 4.5).

3.1 Overlaying a sound roof

An overlay lays a new covering or new sheets over the existing roof without stripping it. Done on a sound structure, it saves the cost and disruption of removal, keeps the building weathertight through the work and avoids lifting old sheeting. It only works if the deck and purlins are sound, the existing insulation is dry, and the structure can carry the extra weight. On fibre cement roofs it has a further point in its favour, because HSE's guidance on asbestos cement roofs asks whether the sheets can be overlaid with a non-asbestos material instead of being taken off. Our guides to overcladding an industrial roof and commercial flat roof refurbishment cover both routes.

3.2 Stripping and replacing

Full replacement starts with a strip back to the structure. We check the deck, purlins or joists, replace anything soft, then install the new covering with proper details at every edge, outlet and penetration. On a flat roof, the fall matters as much as the membrane. IKO, citing the 2018 edition of BS 6229 (since revised), advises designing for 1:40 so that the finished roof still reaches 1:80 after tolerances and deflection, and water that sits for days after rain shortens the life of any covering. Rooflights, ridge details and rainwater outlets are all renewed in the same programme, which is why a replacement is often the cost effective option once a roof has failed across its whole area.

A high quality finish depends on detailing more than on the headline material. The edges, the upstands, the laps, the outlet collars and the junctions with walls are where new roofs fail early if they are rushed, and where a careful installer spends the most time. The quality of the deck underneath matters just as much, because a membrane or sheet is only as sound as what carries it. We photograph those details before they are covered, so you can see what is now under the new surface.

What people sayAn overlay is a shortcut that always costs the roof its life.

What is trueFitted over a sound deck and dry insulation, a new covering is a proper answer; the survey decides, and wet insulation or a weak deck rules it out.

A repair buys time; the survey shows whether time is what the roof has left.

3.3 Consents for commercial roof work

Like-for-like re-covering does not usually need planning permission, because the building looks the same afterwards. A listed building needs listed building consent for works that affect its character, and Adur & Worthing Councils give repairs in non-matching materials as one example. Worthing has 27 conservation areas and Adur has seven. For Building Regulations, the Planning Portal roof guidance, written with houses in mind, lists structural alterations, a covering that performs differently in a fire and a covering 15 per cent or more heavier as triggers. We raise these before pricing, and your building control body has the last word. Our answer on planning for commercial roof work goes further.

Chapter four

Asbestos, fragile roofs and working safely at height

Many older industrial roofs are fibre cement, and a sheet that looks sound can be both fragile and a source of asbestos.

Asbestos cement sheeting was used widely on industrial and agricultural buildings, and the roofs of many warehouses, workshops and garages still contain it. HSE's advice is blunt: if a building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume asbestos is present until a survey shows otherwise. That assumption shapes how we plan, price and carry out the job from the first visit.

At a glance

  • HSE advises assuming asbestos in buildings built before 2000
  • Asbestos cement roofs are always fragile
  • Broken sheeting makes the work notifiable non-licensed work

4.1 Assume it, then confirm it

Before any sheet is touched, the building's asbestos register or a sample test should say what the roof is made of. A roof that looks like grey fibre cement, a lining board on the underside or the external soffits at the eaves may or may not be asbestos, and HSE notes that it is difficult to tell asbestos insulating board from the non-asbestos equivalents by eye. If the answer is not known, we treat the material as asbestos. Our guide to the duty to manage asbestos on a commercial roof covers who looks after the register.

4.2 Fragile roofs and careful removal

HSE describes asbestos cement roofs as always fragile. Nobody should walk across the sheets, and access is planned with edge protection and proper platforms before work begins. The type of work depends on the condition of the material. Careful removal of asbestos cement sheeting that is handled without being broken up is non-licensed work, and that includes sheets that are weathered but not otherwise substantially damaged. Where sheeting is substantially damaged or broken up, such as when a roof is dropped rather than lowered, the work becomes notifiable non-licensed work and the enforcing authority must be told before it starts. Large pieces are lowered to the ground, never dropped or sent down a rubble chute. Read the HSE page on non-licensed work for the full test, and see our guides to asbestos roofs on industrial units and fragile roofs.

4.3 What asbestos changes in the quote

If the survey or a sample test finds asbestos, the job changes shape. The programme allows for slower, more careful handling, the access plan allows for how sheets are lowered, and the waste has its own route off site. It is also the point where an overlay can look more attractive than a strip, because sheets left in place are not broken up. We explain which of these applies to your roof, with the photographs, before you commit to a price.

Asbestos cement roofs in brief

Built before 2000
Assume asbestos is present until shown otherwise
Fragility
Asbestos cement roofs are always fragile
Careful removal
Unbroken sheets are non-licensed work
Broken sheeting
Substantial damage makes it notifiable non-licensed work
Soffit boards
Insulating board is mostly higher-risk, licensed work

Source: HSE, Non-licensed work; HSE guidance A14; HSE, Where asbestos is found; fetched October 2026

Waste leaves the site in a controlled way. HSE guidance asks for asbestos waste to be double-wrapped and labelled, and for asbestos cement sheet to go into a lockable skip, because throwing sheeting over a standard skip is not good enough. Insulating board in old soffits and linings is a different material with a different risk, and most work to remove it falls under licensed work, which we would route to the right specialist. Our garage roof replacement page covers the same material on smaller roofs.

Chapter five

Salt air, wind and drainage on a coastal roof

Roofs near the Channel carry salt on every surface that rain does not wash, and drainage that cannot cope shows up first.

New single-ply membrane flat roof with a welded upstand and edge trim near the sea
New single-ply membrane flat roof with a welded upstand and edge trim near the sea

A building a short way from the sea ages differently from one inland. Salt carried on the air settles on every surface, and the places the rain does not reach are the ones that collect it. HomeBuilding observes that salty deposits build up on soffits and fascias because rain cannot rinse them, and one zinc manufacturer says its metal performs well in coastal conditions but can react with salty air, advising a wash with clean water at least twice a year to limit deposits. That maker treats the first kilometre from the sea as its most severe zone. For a unit or shop on the Worthing seafront or the Adur estuary, that is a good reason to build rinsing and inspection into the roof's routine. Our guide to metal roofs near the sea goes into this in more detail.

At a glance

  • Salt collects where rain cannot rinse
  • Near Shoreham airport, fixing advice may need specialist input
  • Outlets and gutters are cleared before the autumn gales

Note VM Zinc's sea front zone ends at 1 km; its sea area runs to 3 km, low maritime influence to 20 km.

Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea
Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea

5.1 Wind and low pitches

Wind lifts roofs from the edges and corners first. Marley warns that on pitches below 30 degrees the windward slope can come under severe suction, which matters on low-pitched sheeting and on the shallow slopes over shop extensions. Roofs near Shoreham airport have a further point: Marley says vortices from large aircraft can produce local wind loads greater than those calculated to BS 5534, and it asks anyone within 6 km of an airport to contact its Technical Advisory Service. Parts of Shoreham, Lancing and Southwick may fall inside that radius, which is when the tile or sheet maker should be asked about fixings.

Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea
Worthing rooftops of slate and tile running down to the sea

5.2 Gutters, outlets and falls

Most roof damage that starts in a gutter is slow. Leaves and silt collect round a flat roof outlet, water backs up, and the pool works on the membrane and its seams. Box gutters and parapet gutters concentrate the water of a whole roof into one narrow channel, so a blockage overflows into the wall or back under the covering. Manufacturers typically recommend a gentle fall to the outlet, roughly 1:600 to 1:350 depending on the guttering system, with supports at no more than 900 mm apart on one maker's guidance. Our pages on blocked outlets on a commercial roof and industrial gutter lining cover the repairs, and the gutters, soffits and fascias hub covers the roofline.

Freshly re-roofed bungalow with new tiles and fascias

Fig. 5 Put right Outlet cleared and the gutter lined to carry water away.

Salt settles where rain cannot rinse, so inspect the places the weather misses.

Maintenance is cheaper than the leak it prevents. A planned visit each autumn and again after a major gale lets us clear gutters, check fixings and sealant, look at rooflights, and photograph anything changing, so a small fault is mended before it reaches a ceiling. See our guide to commercial roof maintenance plans for what a visit covers, or book a one-off roof inspection or survey. Bats and nesting birds are protected, so we check before we lift sheets or clear an eaves line.

Chapter six

Commercial roof costs, quotes and keeping trading

Size, covering, access and what lies under the roof set the price, and the written quote follows a survey.

The cost of commercial roofing depends on a handful of things. Roof area comes first, then the covering, then access, then what the survey finds underneath. A small flat roof over a shop extension and a two-acre warehouse roof are not the same job, and neither are an EPDM overlay and a sheet-by-sheet replacement. National guides give a starting point for flat roofs, and the chart below shows one of them. Industrial sheeting, larger areas and any asbestos cement are priced on survey, and the written quote gives one total price once we have seen the roof.

At a glance

  • National guides price flat roofs per square metre
  • Ask whether VAT and scaffolding sit inside each price
  • A scaffold licence needs ten working days' notice

6.1 Scaffolding, access and licences

Reaching a roof can cost as much as covering it. A low flat roof can be reached by ladder or a tower, while a three-storey high-street building needs scaffolding, and a large warehouse may need a mobile platform or edge protection along its length. Should the scaffold occupy the pavement or road outside, the scaffold firm applies for a Highways Act licence. West Sussex County Council, the highway authority for Worthing and Adur, asks for at least 10 working days' notice, and Brighton & Hove City Council issues its own. That notice period has to be built into the timing of the works. When quotes arrive, look for whether they cover scaffolding and VAT, which is charged at the standard 20% rate.

6.2 Working while the business trades

Most commercial owners cannot close for a re-roof. The programme is therefore part of the quote: where deliveries and staff need access, which area of roof is open on which day, and how the building is kept weathertight overnight. Phasing a large roof in sections protects stock and keeps tenants working. Our guide to roof work while the business stays open sets out the planning, and commercial roof replacement costs goes further into what drives the figure.

Typical UK flat roof costs per m², before VAT

  • Torch-on felt£70 to £100 per m²
  • EPDM rubber£90 to £130 per m²
  • PVC single-ply£95 to £140 per m²
  • GRP fibreglass£95 to £150 per m²
  • Lead£150 to £200+ per m²

National figures from one guide, not our prices; the written quote comes after the survey and reflects the roof as we find it. Source: MyBuilder flat roof cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

If you rent, the lease decides who pays, so read the repairing covenant before you instruct anyone. The quote is set out on paper with photographs, so a landlord or managing agent can pass it up the chain. A landlord, a managing agent and a tenant may each hold part of the repair duty on one roof, so we are happy to address the survey photographs and the written quote to whoever is paying. Our guide to roof dilapidations at the end of a lease explains why neglect can come back as a claim.

Commercial roofing Worthing: questions from owners and managers

What does a warehouse roof replacement cost in Worthing?

There is no single honest figure, because the area, the type of sheet, access for a platform or scaffold, any asbestos cement and the condition of the purlins beneath all move the price. MyBuilder's national flat roof guide gives £70 to £100 per m² for felt and £90 to £130 for EPDM, as a rough marker only. A pitched metal roof is priced on survey. We send one total price in writing once we have been on the roof, and we tell you what drove it.

How do I judge a commercial roofing contractor in Worthing?

Ask about the contractor's experience working on buildings like yours, then ask what was found on your roof and to see it. A reliable firm will survey the surface, rooflights and outlets, show you photographs, put one total price in writing and say whether it includes VAT, access equipment and waste removal. Ask what its guarantee covers and for how long. Be cautious of anyone who asks for cash up front, or who offers a price without going up to look.

Can a business get a grant towards a new roof?

National schemes such as ECO4 are aimed at homes and fund insulation and heating, and ECO4 itself runs until 31 December 2026. None of the national schemes funds re-roofing. For a commercial building, ask Adur & Worthing Councils, or the funder behind your lease or charity, whether anything applies before any roofing work is agreed, because the conditions of a grant usually have to be met first.

How long does a commercial roofing project take?

The duration follows the roof area, the covering, the weather and whether any sheeting contains asbestos, so the written quote sets out the programme for your building. A leak repair on a small flat roof is a different job from stripping and replacing a warehouse roof in phases. Any phasing around your trading hours, deliveries and staff access is agreed before the first sheet is lifted.

Which parts of West Sussex do you cover for commercial roofing?

Watertight Worthing Roofing works in Worthing and within 30 road miles of it: Shoreham-by-Sea, Southwick, Lancing and Sompting along the Adur, Littlehampton and Arundel to the west, Brighton and Hove to the east, Steyning and the Downs villages, and out to Horsham, Chichester, Burgess Hill and Lewes. Send the postcode and a few photographs with your enquiry and we will arrange the survey.

Who pays for a roof repair on a rented unit?

Commercial leases differ widely. The repairing covenant sets out who looks after the structure, and a service charge may cover the roof of a shared building. Read both before you instruct anyone, and tell the landlord or managing agent in writing, with photographs, as soon as you see water. A neglected roof can also turn into a dilapidations claim at the end of the term.

Guides for commercial roof owners and managers

Plain answers on roof types, costs, surveys, asbestos, maintenance and leases, written for the units, shops, offices and halls of Worthing, Shoreham, Littlehampton and the rest of West Sussex.

Guides

Quick answers

Send us the roof and the problem

Send photographs of the roof and any stained ceilings or wet stock, the age of the building if you know it, and your trading hours, by WhatsApp or to 01903 299063. We check the surface, rooflights and outlets first.

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