Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Bow, Greater London
Chimney surveys in Bow from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us across London and South East England.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Useful tips for Bow property owners
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
Once we’ve been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
About our chimney survey in Bow
If you are 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. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed frost-damaged brickwork on the stack and a chimney out of line, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In Bow, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a proper look rather than a glance from the street. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a close look too.
How fast the report arrives depends on the package: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Where
- Bow (E3)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Bow: your questions answered
Is my home in Bow listed or in a conservation area?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Can a landlord with a rental near Hackney Wick station book a roof survey?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes, every report has them. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, which makes the report easy to follow.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. You get a written report with photos.
Do you work in Bow?
Yes. We survey roofs in Bow and the rest of Greater London. For a price, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Visits run seven days a week in the daytime. Just say which days work for you.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Typically it’s water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped, and record what we find.
What you can safely check yourself
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: 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.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
When to book a survey in Bow
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. 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 is also a target for theft.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- A chimney out of line
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Worn or missing pointing
The streets around a church such as St Paul Old Ford are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- What they will not be able to tell you
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What experience they bring
Bow homes and their roofs
Sutton House, about 1.6 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Bow. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Shop and office owners around Westfield Stratford City may find that a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. If you live near a park such as Grove Hall Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Bow is about 1 mile south-east of Hackney, in Greater London. Bow is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Bow is one of the places in Greater London we cover.
Here we cover the E3 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Trellis Square, Sheffield Square and Bromley High Street or a nearby road, we can help. Bow sits on or near the B142, which makes travel easy. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Donnybrook Quarter (1 mile north), Old Ford (1 mile north-east), Mile End (1 mile south), Fish Island (1 mile north) and Bromley (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as London (4 miles south-west), City of Westminster (6 miles west), Marylebone (5 miles west), Kensington (8 miles west), St Pancras (4 miles west) and Walthamstow (4 miles north).
What’s near Bow
We work in homes and buildings around Lord Tredegar Public House, Grove Hall Park and Mulberry UTC and the streets around them. The closest station to Bow is Hackney Wick station, roughly 0.9 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include V&A East (0.9 miles north-east) and St Clement's Hospital (within half a mile south). For a walk, there’s Hollow Pond and Old Ford Island.
Towns and villages near Bow
Also in Bow
Honest limits
This isn’t a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
What affects the price in Bow
Not every roof costs the same to survey, and it comes down to:
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- House, block, shop or office
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- When you need the report by
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- What’s prompted the survey
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
How it works
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’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Surveys in Bow can be booked for any day of the week. London parking is often by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they frequently give the best view of a rear addition.
- 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.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- If you are buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
Arrange a survey
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or email us. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.