Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire
Chimney surveys around Bovingdon, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Worn or missing pointing
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Chimney survey in Bovingdon
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. Typical surveys look at damp on a chimney breast inside and gaps where the stack meets the roof, on lead flashings, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching.
Around Bovingdon, older cottages sit alongside bungalows and newer houses. Coverings range from slate and clay tiles on older homes to concrete tiles on many later ones. Chimneys, valleys and gutters on older homes often need the most attention. The fixings under an older roof often fail before good slates or tiles do.
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.
- Place
- Bovingdon (HP3)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Bovingdon
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed ahead of time. Surveys run on any day of the week, which can make access easier.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time, and they’re priced for the size.
DIY checks: what’s safe
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Also near Bovingdon
Also in Bovingdon
Chimney surveys in Bovingdon: local notes
Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Whatever the covering, it is frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Historic houses such as Chenies Manor House, about 3.2 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Bovingdon goes. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
Take a building like Bovingdon Primary Academy: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. Landlords with a home close to Hemel Hempstead station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Bovingdon is about 3 miles south-east of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire. From houses to flats and shops in Bovingdon, we can survey the roof on a weekday or at the weekend. Our area takes in places right across Hertfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
We survey roofs across the HP3 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on High Street, Old Dean and Hyde Meadows and the roads around them. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Bulstrode (1 mile east), Hogpits Bottom (1 mile south), Orchard Leigh (2 miles west), Tower Hill (2 miles south-east) and Ley Hill (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Watford (7 miles south-east), Hemel Hempstead (4 miles north-east), St Albans (9 miles east), Harpenden (10 miles north-east), Hatfield (13 miles east) and Borehamwood (12 miles east).
Local landmarks in Bovingdon
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Wheatsheaf Public House, among other places. Bovingdon’s nearest station is Hemel Hempstead station, roughly 2.4 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Hemel Hempstead Hospital (3.5 miles north-east) and Hawridge Court (4.1 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Sarratt Bottom nature reserve.
What we look for on each type of roof
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we look at them closely.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Damp patches on chimney breasts often point to a problem above. We check them and at the stack in the loft where there is safe access.
What we are asked to look at in Bovingdon
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near Church of St Lawrence, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Questions to ask before booking
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Will the report include photos?
How it works
The aim of the visit is simple: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Notes and photos go into the written report. It normally takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a smaller place like Bovingdon, 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 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.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before the survey
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
How to book
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll recommend the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Advice
Bovingdon questions
Is Bovingdon within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Hemel Hempstead station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you need.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we’re given access to.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not unless it’s safe. Safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. We check the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can raise it with them.
Does someone need to be in?
Someone needs to let us in if we are looking inside or in the loft. We will talk about access as you book.
Honest limits
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
What we look at
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts