Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Belgravia
Need a chimney survey in Belgravia? We can help, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- A chimney out of line
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
About our chimney survey in Belgravia
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is often shared with next door. We look at everything that’s safely in view and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it and you can then discuss it with them. You get a report with photographs and our recommendations. We survey flaunching, lead flashings and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are a chimney out of line and pots or cowls that look unsafe.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Good slates can last over a hundred years, yet the nails frequently give out first and let slates slip. In Belgravia, as across London, that is why a roof needs a close look rather than a glance from the street. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a close look too.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Where
- Belgravia (SW3, SW1X, SW1W)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
We’ll ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. The inspection then takes an hour or two for most houses, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In Belgravia, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it is useful to know what’s near you. 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 check 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 loft space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- For flats, make sure roof access has been agreed
Getting a price
When you are ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Related advice
Signs you need a chimney survey in Belgravia
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which can make a stack lean.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- A stack that appears to lean
If you run a business near Harrods, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Whether VAT is added on top
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
What you can safely check yourself
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
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. Do not go up yourself.
Also near Belgravia
Other services in Belgravia
FAQs for Belgravia
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Belgravia?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Can a landlord with a rental near London Victoria 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 use the contact form with the details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. Our survey notes how it looks and the condition of the bricks and joints, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
What does a chimney survey cover?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. Everything is written up with photographs.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where applicable and safe. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
What a chimney survey does not cover
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
Local roofs in Belgravia
Apsley House, about 0.4 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Belgravia. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. 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. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you look after a building such as Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you let a flat or house near London Victoria station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Belgravia is about 1 mile south of City of Westminster, in Greater London. In Belgravia, as across Greater London, every roof gets the same careful survey. Belgravia is one of the towns and villages in Greater London we cover.
Surveys in SW3, SW1X and SW1W work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on Hans Road, Eaton Lane and Gerald Road. Being close to the A3214 and A3217, Belgravia is simple for us to get to. Close by, we survey roofs in Brompton (1 mile south-west), Victoria (1 mile south-east), Chelsea (1 mile south-west), Pimlico (1 mile south-east) and Westminster (1 mile east). Larger places within reach include London (3 miles east), St Pancras (3 miles north-east), Shoreditch (4 miles north-east), Walthamstow (8 miles north-east), Hoxton (4 miles north-east) and Whitechapel (4 miles east).
Local landmarks in Belgravia
Around Belgravia, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Saint Thomas More Language College, Green Park and Natural History Museum Library and Archives, among other places. Also close by are Star Tavern (under half a mile north-west) and Inchbald School of Design (less than half a mile south). The nearest railway station is London Victoria station, about 0.5 miles south-east. A little further out are Health Exhibition Centre (less than half a mile south-east) and Harrods (less than half a mile west). The countryside around Belgravia includes Campden Hill and Serpentine.
Different roofs, different checks
Rendered stacks
Some stacks are rendered, which can hide the condition of the brickwork beneath. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. We record what we see with photographs.
Before and after the survey
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- 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
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.