Surrey · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Chelsham, Surrey
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Chelsham, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Tips from our surveys
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Chelsham
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We check what can safely be seen and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, flaunching and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are redundant stacks capped without ventilation and bricks with flaking faces.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
After the visit, you get a written report with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Chelsham (CR6)
- Region
- Surrey
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we’re asked to look at in Chelsham
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead is also a target for theft.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
Living close to Ledgers Wood is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Questions to ask before booking
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
Chelsham homes and their roofs
Historic houses such as Addington Palace, about 3 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Chelsham goes. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls are typical of Surrey’s older houses. A few of Surrey’s oldest buildings have heavy Horsham stone slab roofs. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Church of St Mary the Virgin, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. For landlords with property near Woldingham station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Chelsham is about 3 miles north-east of Caterham, in Surrey. Chelsham is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Surrey, from the larger towns to small villages. There’s also a page for London.
We cover every part of CR6 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Chelsham Common and Chelsham Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. We also cover Farleigh (1 mile north), Warlingham (1 mile west), Hamsey Green (1 mile west), Fickleshole (1 mile north-east) and New Addington (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Epsom (10 miles west), Horley (11 miles south-west), Redhill (8 miles south-west), Ewell (10 miles west), Reigate (9 miles south-west) and Caterham (3 miles south-west).
Near you in Chelsham
In Chelsham, that means homes and buildings near Warlingham School, Ledgers Wood and Hare & Hounds pub, among other places. The closest station to Chelsham is Woldingham station, roughly 1.9 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Warlingham Park Hospital (within half a mile north) and East Surrey Museum (3 miles south-west). Open spaces near Chelsham include Hutchinson's Bank and Nore Hill.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Chelsham: your questions answered
How do I find out if my home in Chelsham is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do you cover smaller places like Chelsham?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. It’s a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. Everything is written up with photographs.
How long does the survey take?
Time on site depends on the roof, but most surveys take about 1–2 hours for most houses, and more on a big or complicated roof. The written report follows by email.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
A leaning stack should be looked at. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we don’t carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
What we do, step by step
On the day, we start by asking what you’ve noticed and what you need to know. After that, we check everything we can see safely. The survey typically takes an hour or two at a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. Rural addresses near Chelsham can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Getting a price
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before you book.
Related advice
Nearby places to Chelsham
What else we do in Chelsham
What this survey can’t tell you
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
Roofs we survey in Chelsham
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.