Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Birchington, Kent
We carry out chimney surveys in Birchington and the rest of Kent. We survey on any day of the week.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
About our chimney survey in Birchington
Redundant chimneys are common, particularly where fires have been replaced by central heating. Even when it isn’t used, a stack has to stay weathertight. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’re worried about a stack that appears to lean and disused chimneys trapping moisture, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Houses in smaller places like Birchington can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. Checking those edges shows whether anything has begun to work loose. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Place
- Birchington (CT7)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Birchington
Landlords, agents and building managers in Birchington and across Kent can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- The size of the roof
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- House, block, shop or office
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
Helping us price your survey
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- Anything about access we should know
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What’s prompted the survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Why get it checked now?
Damp in a chimney breast normally gets worse while the cause is left. It can stain walls and damage plaster. Knowing whether it is the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. Around Birchington, a leak in an older house can soak into timbers and plaster, and that is a much bigger job than the original defect.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Read how roof surveys are priced or what we found on two real jobs.
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
Questions about the findings are always welcome. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Nearby places to Birchington
Also in Birchington
Birchington questions
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Birchington, take more of a battering?
Near the coast, roofs face more wind and more salt than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces.
I let a flat near Birchington-On-Sea station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and a few details.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where applicable, the Premium Survey.
Do you cover Birchington?
Yes, we do. Birchington is part of the area we cover.
What a chimney survey looks like in Birchington
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Birchington, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. The wider area around Birchington has a long history of building, with Quex Park about 1 mile south-east. 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.
Anyone responsible for a site like Birchington Church of England Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Landlords with a home close to Birchington-On-Sea station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. The streets around a church like Church of All Saints are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Birchington is about 3 miles west of Margate, in Kent. Anywhere in Birchington, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our area takes in places right across Kent, large and small. Our Canterbury page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the CT7 postcode area for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Lyell Road, The Square and Alpha Road. If you’re just outside Birchington, we cover Acol (1 mile south), Westgate-on-Sea (1 mile east), Garlinge (2 miles east), Mount Pleasant (2 miles south) and Westbrook (3 miles east). We also work in nearby towns like Canterbury (12 miles south-west), Margate (3 miles east), Ramsgate (5 miles south-east), Broadstairs (5 miles east), Whitstable (12 miles west) and Deal (12 miles south).
Around Birchington
Around Birchington, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Powell Arms Public House and King Ethelbert School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Birchington itself: Birchington-On-Sea station. A little further out are Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (3.7 miles east) and Powell-Cotton Museum (0.8 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Sandwich and Pegwell Bay.
What we do, step by step
There is not much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we will take it from there. The survey itself takes about one to two hours for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Birchington, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. Inside, the loft is checked where it can be reached safely.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Getting a price
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, call 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
Brick stacks
Spalled bricks, where the face has flaked off, are a sign of water and frost. We record any we can see.