Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Aldgate
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Aldgate. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Worn or missing pointing
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Roof by roof
Rendered stacks
We can’t see the bricks behind render without it being opened up, so the report says what can and can’t be judged.
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Aldgate
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where applicable. If we cannot see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. We survey lead flashings, chimney breasts and shared and party-wall stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are mortar washing out of the joints and cracked or missing flaunching.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, frequently with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. Homes in Aldgate are no exception. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photo. It records what’s sound as well as what isn’t.
- Place
- Aldgate (E1, EC2A, SE1)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
It is useful to know what a survey won’t do before booking:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Conditions inside walls
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
Checking the roof from ground level
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
Useful tips for Aldgate property owners
Small things make a difference, both for the survey and for the roof itself. Some pointers:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What a chimney survey looks like in Aldgate
The wider area around Aldgate has a long history of building, with Mansion House about 0.5 miles 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. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. If your home in Aldgate is one of them, lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are part of the picture too. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you run a business near Gabriel's Wharf, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. If you let a flat or house near London Fenchurch Street station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. Take a building like The Aldgate School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Aldgate is about 1 mile north-east of London, in Greater London. We carry out chimney surveys in Aldgate for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings. Aldgate is one of the places in Greater London where we work.
Every address in E1, EC2A and SE1 is within our area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Bush Lane, Swan Lane and Mark Lane or a nearby road, we can survey it. You will find Aldgate on the A3 and A10, so it’s easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Spitalfields (1 mile north-east), Bishopsgate (1 mile north-west), Tower Hill (1 mile south), Whitechapel (1 mile north-east) and City of London (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover City of Westminster (3 miles west), Marylebone (3 miles west), Kensington (5 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (5 miles north-west) and Ruislip (15 miles west).
Near you in Aldgate
In Aldgate, that means homes and buildings near Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives, Fund Academy and East India Arms and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include London Enterprise Academy (0.6 miles east), St Mary-at-Hill (within half a mile south-west) and Finsbury Circus (0.5 miles north-west). There is a railway station in Aldgate itself: London Fenchurch Street station. Well-known places in the area include Gabriel's Wharf (1.4 miles west) and Tower of London (within half a mile south). The countryside around Aldgate includes St. James's Park Lake and Lavender Pond.
Questions from Aldgate
Can a landlord with a rental near London Fenchurch Street 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 will talk through which survey suits.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Aldgate?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
It depends on its condition and your plans. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
Do you cover Aldgate?
Yes. Our area covers London and South East England, and that includes Aldgate.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Damp on a chimney breast usually means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We inspect everything that’s safely in view and what you give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it, so you can discuss it with them.
For landlords and managing agents
We survey roofs for landlords and agents as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs, useful for planning maintenance.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
Also near Aldgate
Also in Aldgate
How it works
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the loft space if there is safe access. All told, expect between one and two hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In Aldgate, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Find any records of previous roof work
Getting a price
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us, tell us about the property and we’ll point you to the right survey. The price is agreed up front.