Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Blackfen
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Blackfen. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
For landlords and managing agents
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the addresses.
How a chimney survey works in Blackfen
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down, often after years of flue gases and damp. We record the lean and the condition of the brickwork and pointing. If the stack looks like a structural issue, the report recommends a structural engineer. Common reasons to book are damaged chimney pots and cowls and worn or missing pointing, across chimney pots and cowls, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Good slates can last over a hundred years, yet the nails frequently give out first and let slates slip. Homes in Blackfen are no exception. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Location
- Blackfen (DA15, DA16, SE9)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Blackfen
What else we do in Blackfen
Can I check my roof myself?
It is useful to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when booking.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Do not go up yourself.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Blackfen
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
Problems we come across frequently include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- A chimney out of line
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of the Good Shepherd, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Questions to ask before booking
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Blackfen
The wider area around Blackfen has a long history of building, with Danson House about 1.2 miles east. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
For landlords with property near Falconwood station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you live near a park such as Shoulder of Mutton Green, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Blackfen is about 2 miles east of Eltham, in Greater London. If you’re in Blackfen, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in London.
We survey roofs across DA15, DA16 and SE9 for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Days Lane, Gordon Road and Kent Avenue or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you’re just outside Blackfen, we cover Falconwood (1 mile north), Avery Hill (1 mile west), East Wickham (1 mile north), New Eltham (1 mile south-west) and Longlands (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover London (9 miles north-west), City of Westminster (11 miles north-west), Marylebone (11 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles west), St Pancras (10 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (9 miles north-west).
What’s near Blackfen
Typical jobs here are in homes near The George Staples pub, Harris Academy Falconwood and Shoulder of Mutton Green. For rail, the closest station is Falconwood station, roughly 0.8 miles north-west. Other landmarks nearby include Broadway Shopping Centre (2.3 miles east) and Eltham Community Hospital (1.7 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Summer Hill and The Tarn.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. We record what we see with photos.
What happens on the day
When we arrive, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you’d like to know. After that, we look at everything we can see safely, from the ground, from windows, in the roof space and by drone where it applies. Most surveys take about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In Blackfen, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they frequently give the best view of a rear addition.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
How to book
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Related advice
Blackfen: your questions answered
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Blackfen?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Tell us what parking is available nearby, and the visit is planned around it.
I let a flat near Falconwood station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
What do I do with the report?
The report arrives by email. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation, so you can talk the findings through.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and details are available on request.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from ground level, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where applicable. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.