Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Claygate, Kent
Chimney surveys across Claygate, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Your questions about chimney surveys in Claygate
How do I find out if my home in Claygate is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Is Claygate within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We work right across London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when booking.
How long does the survey take?
It normally takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. You will then get the report by email.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We note visible signs 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 happens next?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. It is yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with the building owner or managing agent. Tell us about it when booking and we’ll explain what’s needed.
Are you insured?
We are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
Chimney survey in Claygate: what you get
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. Even when it is not used, a stack has to stay weathertight. 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. If you are worried about a stack that appears to lean and damp patches on chimney breasts, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
In a small place like Claygate, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Claygate (TN12)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Chimney surveys around Claygate
Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. Across Kent, older roofs are frequently handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you let a flat or house near Marden station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Claygate is about 7 miles south-west of Maidstone, in Kent. From houses to flats and shops in Claygate, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. We cover towns and villages across Kent. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
We work across TN12 for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We cover properties on Sheephurst Lane, Maidstone Road and Spenny Lane. Other places close to Claygate include Pearson's Green (1 mile south-west), Marden Beech (2 miles south-east), Marden (2 miles east), Queen Street (2 miles north-west) and Castle Hill (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (7 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (14 miles north-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (8 miles west), Tonbridge (8 miles west), Kings Hill (7 miles north) and Foley Park (8 miles north-east).
Around Claygate
Typical jobs here are in homes near The White Hart pub. Claygate’s nearest station is Marden station, roughly 1.8 miles east of the centre. Nearby you will also find South East Romany Museum (2.7 miles east).
What we’re asked to look at in Claygate
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
Typical things we’re asked to look at include:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
If you live in an older home near Church of St Margaret, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- Their report turnaround times
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
Practical tips
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
How the survey changes by roof type
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, frequently with a cowl or cap on top. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Nearby places to Claygate
What else we do in Claygate
Surveys for landlords and agents in Claygate
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
What we do, step by step
The visit has one job: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and more on a big or complicated roof. Cottages and farmhouses around Claygate frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Book a survey
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or send us an email when you are ready.
Read more
What we cannot see
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Hidden damage within the stack
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Claygate
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching