Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Addington, Greater London
We carry out chimney surveys in Addington and the rest of Greater London. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Chimney survey in Addington: what you get
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. We survey chimney pots and cowls, flaunching and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are unused flues sealed without airflow and pots or cowls that look unsafe.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Good slates can last over a hundred years, yet the nails frequently give out first and let slates slip. In Addington, as across London, that is why a roof needs a proper look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
What you get is a clear record of the chimney stack on the day we saw it. It’s useful straight away, and a good reference for later.
- Location
- Addington (CR0, CR2, BR4)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Checking the roof from ground level
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time, so they’re priced to suit.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in. We survey seven days a week, which can make access easier.
What a chimney survey looks like in Addington
Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Addington is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. The wider area around Addington has a long history of building, with Addington Palace about 0.4 miles west. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
Take an older house close to Church of St Mary: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. Shop and office owners around St George's Walk may find that a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions. If you look after a building such as Applegarth Academy, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Addington is about 3 miles south-east of Ashburton, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Addington can all book chimney surveys. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Surveys in CR0, CR2 and BR4 are booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes homes and businesses on Lodge Lane, Falconwood Road and Addington Village Road. Close by, we survey roofs in Coney Hall (1 mile north), Forestdale (1 mile south), Spring Park (1 mile north), New Addington (1 mile south-east) and Selsdon (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (10 miles north), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (12 miles north-west), St Pancras (12 miles north) and Shoreditch (12 miles north).
Landmarks near Addington
We work in homes and buildings around Addington Park and John Ruskin College. For rail, the closest station is West Wickham station, about 1.7 miles north-east. Nearby you’ll also find National Psychosis Unit (1.6 miles north) and St George's Walk (3.1 miles west). The countryside around Addington includes Bramley Bank and Duppas Hill.
Nearby places to Addington
More services for Addington
Practical tips
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Addington questions
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Addington?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot.
Can a landlord with a rental near West Wickham station book a roof survey?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Normally it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that in advance, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. Strong wind or a downpour can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
How fast do I get the report?
Each package has its own report time. Basic: within 48 hours. Standard: 24 to 48 hours. Premium: the same day. Mention any deadline as you book.
Honest limits
It’s a careful look at the chimney stack, not the whole story. The main limits are:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
What we do, step by step
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes an hour or two at most homes, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. If you have questions on the day, just ask. For a visit in Addington, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space, which floor the property is on and how to get into the loft. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space and from the roof where it’s safe.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room
- Tell us about parking before the day
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Booking a survey
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know the cost up front. Prices start from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
In the loft, staining around the stack often shows where water is getting in. What we find is photographed and described.
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.