Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Broad Tenterden
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Broad Tenterden. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Chimney survey in Broad Tenterden
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. 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. We are often asked to look into signs that a stack is leaning and disused chimneys trapping moisture, on lead flashings, chimney breasts and shared and party-wall stacks.
Older buildings in small places like Broad Tenterden may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Broad Tenterden (TN30)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we can’t see
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- A structural engineer’s assessment
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Broad Tenterden
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
The survey, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the roof space where it can be reached. All told, expect about one to two hours for a house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Somewhere like Broad Tenterden needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Preparing for the visit
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Leave side gates unlocked
Arrange a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.
Advice
Broad Tenterden homes and their roofs
Historic houses such as Smallhythe Place, about 1.6 miles south, show how far back building in the area around Broad Tenterden goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. Across Kent, older roofs are often handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Anyone responsible for a site like Tenterden Church of England Junior School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you live near a park such as Turners Field, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys.
Broad Tenterden is about 9 miles south-west of Ashford, in Kent. We carry out chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Broad Tenterden and nearby. We cover towns and villages across Kent. Maidstone is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: TN30. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Smallhythe Road and Small Hythe Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. We also cover Tenterden (1 mile north), Small Hythe (1 mile south), St Michaels (2 miles north), Strood (2 miles west) and Parkgate (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Ashford (9 miles north-east), Paddock Wood (15 miles north-west), Bearsted (15 miles north), Park Wood (14 miles north-west), Kennington (11 miles north-east) and New Romney (12 miles south-east).
Around Broad Tenterden
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Vine Inn, Turners Field and Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre, among other places. A little further out are Benenden Hospital (3.8 miles north-west) and Tenterden and District Museum (0.7 miles north-west).
Broad Tenterden questions
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Broad Tenterden?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Do you cover Broad Tenterden?
Yes, Broad Tenterden is one of the places we work. The survey and report are the same in Broad Tenterden as anywhere else, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
What if it rains on the day?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. If the conditions are not right, we’ll talk to you about another date.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. 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.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We inspect from wherever is safe: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where applicable. We note anything we couldn’t see.
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What a survey costs
Survey packages start from £150, including VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The size of the roof
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Getting in touch
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know the cost up front. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What we are asked to look at in Broad Tenterden
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Parish Church of St Mildred, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Tips that help
Most of what helps is simple and safe from the ground. A few suggestions:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect, so it’s easy to follow.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Leave it or get it looked at?
If you’re thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it’s useful to know its condition first. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council, so check with them first. For an older or listed building in a place like Broad Tenterden, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where it applies, which starts from £400, with VAT included. We can help you choose the package that fits what you’d like to know.
Why book with us
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- An independent look at the roof
- Prices that include VAT
- 98% of customers satisfied