London and the South East

Chimney Survey in Kent

From the largest town to the smallest village in Kent, our roof surveyors can carry out chimney surveys. Written reports with photos, and surveys on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Book a chimney survey in Kent

Call 07833 053749

Book a survey

Where we work in Kent

What it covers: a survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching. Choose your town from the list to see local details. To book, call 07833 053749.

Main towns

Other services in Kent

Postcode areas we cover

How a chimney survey works in Kent

Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the roof space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. Typical surveys look at lifted or split lead flashings and cracked or missing flaunching, on flaunching, chimney breasts and chimney pots and cowls.

The aim of the visit is simple: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building.

We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
You get a report with photos and our recommendations.

Prices in Kent

There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.

Why clients in Kent book us

5,000+ roofs surveyed
An independent look at the roof
Two decades and more of roof surveys
98% customer satisfaction

Booking a survey

Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.

Landmarks near Maidstone

Typical jobs here are in homes near Paper Makers Arms, Maidstone Grammar School and St Philip's Church and the streets around them. You will also find River Len LNR (less than half a mile north-east), South Borough Primary School (less than half a mile south) and St Augustine Academy (1.2 miles west). Maidstone’s nearest station is Maidstone West station, roughly 0.6 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Maidstone Carriage Museum (within half a mile north-west) and Oakwood Hospital (1.8 miles west). Not far away are Burham Down and Boxley Hills.

Chimney surveys across Kent: local notes

Across Kent, plenty of older houses still have chimney stacks, used or not, and the lead and mortar around them need watching. Gutters, valleys and fixings come next.

Even in the South East, autumn and winter storms find any loose slate, tile or ridge. Ridges, verges and flashings in Kent are where it typically shows. Kent includes coastal places, where roofs take more wind and salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.

Maidstone: Historic houses like Stoneacre, about 2.4 miles south-east, show how far back building around Maidstone goes. Older roofs nearby frequently mix original materials with later repairs, and the survey shows where each one is. For businesses in and around places such as The Mall Maidstone, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.

Different roofs, different checks

Flaunching

Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Cracks in it let water into the stack.

Lead flashings

Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.

What this survey cannot tell you

We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:

Whether the flue is safe to use
Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Hidden sides of a shared stack

Landlords, agents and block managers in Kent

We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time.

Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work.

Practical tips

These tips come from what we see on roofs every week, before and after a survey:

Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
Use the report as a baseline for future checks
Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
Leave close inspection to people with safe access

Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.

Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.

Common roof problems in Kent

Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.

A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:

Signs that a stack is leaning
Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Flashings pulling away from the stack
Pots or cowls that look unsafe

Questions from Kent

Will you check the loft?

If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. From inside, the underside of the roof often shows damp, staining or daylight that can’t be seen from outside.

How long is the visit?

Time on site depends on the roof; most visits take between one and two hours for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. The written report follows by email.

Do you take photos of the roof?

Yes. The report includes photos of what we found.

What does a roof survey cost?

Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our three packages are Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, inc. VAT.

Do you climb onto every roof?

Only when it is safe. Safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.

What insurance do you have?

Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

What do you check on a chimney?

Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.