East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Blacklands, East Sussex
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Blacklands, with photographs and a clear written report.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
Common questions in Blacklands
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Blacklands?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you cover smaller places like Blacklands?
Yes. Blacklands is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We’re experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
What happens next?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We look at everything that can safely be seen: from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it’s safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
About our chimney survey in Blacklands
Redundant chimneys are common, especially where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. 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. Common reasons to book are spalled or crumbling bricks and redundant stacks capped without ventilation, across lead flashings, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks.
Houses in smaller places like Blacklands can face open ground, where wind and driving rain hit the roof harder. Ridge tiles, verges, chimney stacks and flashings take the worst of it. Checking those edges shows whether anything has begun to work loose before it lets water in. Once one ridge tile or slate moves, wind gets under the next one too.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photograph. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Place
- Blacklands (TN34, TN37, TN35)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Why it is worth a survey now in Blacklands
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it’s doing. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. In a smaller place like Blacklands, wherever a roof is exposed, a loose ridge or flashing does not stay loose for long. Each storm lifts it a little further, and water follows.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
What you get with us
- Photographs and a written report every time
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Prices that include VAT
- 20+ years’ experience
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or our case studies.
DIY checks: what’s safe
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we look at the roof.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Nearby places to Blacklands
Other services in Blacklands
What happens on the day
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a smaller place like Blacklands, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. Low roofs on bungalows can often be seen well from ground level, and the loft shows the rest, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where applicable.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Getting a price
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or email us to find out.
Read more
Different roofs, different checks
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as householders. A written report with photographs gives you a clear record of the chimney stack.
When you need someone else
In fairness, a roof survey has limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll point you to the right survey. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Blacklands
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
Chimney surveys around Blacklands
Blacklands lies within about 1 mile of the sea, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles. There are about 500,000 buildings on England’s list of listed buildings, and around 10,000 conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so the council is the place to ask.
If you let a flat or house near Ore station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. The streets around a church such as Christ Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Homes near green spaces such as Alexandra Park can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Blacklands is about 1 mile east of Hastings, in East Sussex. In Blacklands, as across East Sussex, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Maidstone page.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: TN34, TN37 and TN35. Streets in the area include Laton Road, Manor Road and Park Avenue, and we cover them all. Being close to the A2101, Blacklands is easy for us to reach. We also cover the places around Blacklands: St Helen's (1 mile north), Hastings (1 mile west), Belmont (1 mile south-east), America Ground (1 mile south) and Hastings Old Town (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns like Eastbourne (14 miles south-west), Bexhill-on-Sea (5 miles west), Hailsham (14 miles west), Polegate (15 miles west), Old Town (15 miles south-west) and Upper Horsebridge (14 miles west).
Around Blacklands
Typical jobs here are in homes near William Parker Sports College, Roman Catholic Church of St Mary Star of the Sea and Alexandra Park, among other places. Nearby too are University School (0.8 miles south) and Crowleys Bar (0.7 miles south). The nearest railway station is Ore station, about 0.6 miles east of the centre. A little further out are The True Crime Museum (0.9 miles south) and Priory Meadow Shopping Centre (0.7 miles south). Open spaces near Blacklands include Church Wood and Robsack Wood.