Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Arpinge, Kent
Wondering about the chimney stack at a property in Arpinge? You can book a chimney survey in Arpinge and across Kent, with plain-English findings.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Different roofs, different checks
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Arpinge
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Common reasons to book are flashings pulling away from the stack and a chimney out of line, across chimney breasts, flaunching and brick chimney stacks.
Older buildings in small places like Arpinge may be listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is often expected.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photo. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Place
- Arpinge (CT18)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Why act early in Arpinge
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it’s doing. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent, so check with them first. Outbuildings and barns around Arpinge are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It is worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Prices start from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
What you get with us
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- 98% customer satisfaction
Read our cost guide and what we found on two real jobs.
Practical tips
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.
Local roofs in Arpinge
Arpinge lies within about 3 miles of the sea, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. With Acrise Place about 2.1 miles north, Arpinge sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
Take an older house close to St Oswald's Church: the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. For site and facilities teams at buildings like Harcourt Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. For landlords with property near Folkestone West station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Arpinge is about 1 mile south-west of Hawkinge, in Kent. We survey roofs in Arpinge and the rest of Kent. Our area takes in places right across Kent. There is also a page for Canterbury.
All of CT18 is covered for chimney surveys. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Hawkinge (1 mile north-east), Densole (2 miles north-east), Old Hawkinge (2 miles east), Swingfield Minnis (3 miles north-east) and Elham (3 miles north). Further out, we also cover Ashford (12 miles west), Canterbury (12 miles north), Dover (8 miles east), Deal (14 miles north-east), Hythe (3 miles south-west) and Tower Hamlets (7 miles east).
Local landmarks in Arpinge
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Cat & Custard Pot pub, among other places. The closest station to Arpinge is Folkestone West station, roughly 1.7 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Royal Victoria Hospital (2.2 miles south-east) and Folkestone Castle (1.4 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Cheriton Hill.
Arpinge questions
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Folkestone West station?
Yes, rented property is part of what we cover. You can call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Arpinge, take more of a battering?
It can do. Within about 3 miles of the sea, as Arpinge is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Are you insured?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed, ready to forward.
Will I get photos?
Yes, plenty. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
What happens on the day
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. It normally takes about one to two hours at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a hamlet or village like Arpinge, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Preparing for the visit
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.
Related advice
Nearby places to Arpinge
Other services in Arpinge
DIY checks: what’s safe
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge 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. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.