East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Broad Oak, East Sussex
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Broad Oak, with photos and a written report.
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Mortar washing out of the joints
How a chimney survey works in Broad Oak
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed gaps where the stack meets the roof and redundant stacks capped without ventilation, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a village or hamlet like Broad Oak, older cottages and farmhouses often sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. We report on everything that’s safely in view, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Broad Oak (TN31)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Nearby places to Broad Oak
What else we do in Broad Oak
Questions from Broad Oak
Is Broad Oak within the area you cover?
Yes. Broad Oak is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Is my home in Broad Oak listed or in a conservation area?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Usually it’s water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Visible signs like deflection or sagging are recorded, but we do not provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. If one is needed, the report says so.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
Do not ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We inspect from wherever is safe: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where it applies. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
Do you use drones?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules. We are a CAA-registered drone operator.
DIY checks: what’s safe
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, which helps when we look at the roof.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.
Why act early in Broad Oak
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a roofer. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Broad Oak, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Every price we give includes VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for your roof before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Broad Oak
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- PI and public liability insurance
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Surveys seven days a week
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys in Broad Oak: local notes
With Great Dixter about 3.3 miles north, Broad Oak sits in an area with a long building history. If your house is among the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings, alongside oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Anyone responsible for a site like Brede Primary School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. For landlords with property near Doleham station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Broad Oak is about 6 miles north of Hastings, in East Sussex. Whether the building in Broad Oak is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex, large and small. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Chimney surveys in TN31 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Pond Close, Reedswood Road and The Orchard or anywhere close by, we can survey it. You will find Broad Oak on the B2089, which makes it simple to reach. We also cover the places around Broad Oak: Beckley Furnace (1 mile north-east), Broadland Row (1 mile east), Doleham (2 miles south), Udimore (2 miles east) and Beckley (3 miles north-east). Larger places within reach include Hastings (6 miles south), Bexhill-on-Sea (9 miles south-west), St Leonards (7 miles south), Hastings Old Town (6 miles south), Belmont (6 miles south) and Heathfield (15 miles west).
Near you in Broad Oak
For rail, the closest station is Doleham station, roughly 2.2 miles south. A little further out are Nortons Farm Museum (3.7 miles south-west) and Conquest Hospital (4.7 miles south). For a walk, there is Flatropers Wood.
What we are asked to look at in Broad Oak
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We note what’s visible in the roof space and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
Common reasons to book include:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
For an older house near a landmark like The Parish Church of St George, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What insurance they carry
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- How soon the report will arrive
How it works
Safety comes first on every visit. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. Most visits take between one and two hours for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Rural addresses near Broad Oak can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a report with photographs and our recommendations.
Before the survey
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Book a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or drop 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
Different roofs, different checks
Rendered stacks
Some stacks are rendered, which can hide the condition of the brickwork beneath. The survey checks for cracking, bulging and staining in the render.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.