Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Birling, Kent
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Birling, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Landlord and commercial surveys in Birling
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
About our chimney survey in Birling
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it is 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 complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’ve noticed eroded joints in the brickwork and a stack that appears to lean, we can find out what’s behind it, whatever the roof.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Location
- Birling (ME19)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What else we do in Birling
Useful tips for Birling property owners
A survey works best with a little help from you, before and after. Tips:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
Questions about the findings are always welcome. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Birling: your questions answered
Is Birling within the area you cover?
Yes. Birling is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Is my home in Birling listed or in a conservation area?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If the survey needs it and the roof space can be reached safely, yes. Please clear anything stored under the hatch, and if the loft can’t be reached safely, the report says so.
What does a roof survey cost?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking. To get a price, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. It is a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
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.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
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 it applies, the Premium Survey.
Checking the roof from ground level
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us as you book and it will help the survey.
Chimney surveys in Birling: local notes
About 3.9 miles north-east lies Starkey Castle, a reminder of how long the area around Birling has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Trees in and around Leybourne Lakes Country Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you look after a building like Ryarsh Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
Birling is about 6 miles south-west of Chatham, in Kent. Anywhere in Birling, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across Kent, we cover Birling and the places around it. Maidstone is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: ME19. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Ryarsh Road, Masters Lane and Bull Road and the roads around them. If you’re just outside Birling, we cover Paddlesworth (1 mile north), Leybourne (1 mile south-east), Lunsford (1 mile east), Snodland (2 miles north-east) and Larkfield (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (6 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (14 miles east), Dartford (12 miles north-west), Sevenoaks (10 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (14 miles south-west) and Gravesend (8 miles north).
Local landmarks in Birling
We work in homes and buildings around The Holmesdale School, The Duke Of Wellington Public House and Leybourne Lakes Country Park. The nearest railway station is West Malling station, roughly 1.8 miles south of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Leybourne Castle (1.1 miles south-east) and Maidstone Hospital (4.5 miles south-east). Open spaces near Birling include Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
Prices for chimney surveys in Birling
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all inc. VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Getting in touch
We will usually ask about:
- When you need the report by
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Access details, like a loft hatch or a shared roof
- The address and postcode of the property
If you’re buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form when you are ready.
What we do, step by step
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe, including by drone where it is applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take about one to two hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. In a small place like Birling, access is typically the main thing to plan. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Getting ready for the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
For a price for chimney surveys in Birling, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you want to find out help us give you an accurate price.
Advice
Common roof problems in Birling
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
We are frequently asked to look at:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of All Saints, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Before you book anyone
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- Their report turnaround times