Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Cliffe, Medway
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Cliffe. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Cliffe
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where it applies. Where part of a stack can’t be seen, the report says so. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. Common reasons to book are unused flues sealed without airflow and flaunching that has broken away, on shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks.
Village roofs often 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. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photos, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Cliffe (ME3)
- Wider area
- Medway
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Cliffe
Is Cliffe within the area you cover?
Yes, Cliffe is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Cliffe, take more of a battering?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Exposed details such as ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when booking.
Do I need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in if we’re looking inside or in the loft. Access is agreed with you when booking.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. You get a written report with photos.
Will you walk on the roof?
Not always. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the loft space and a drone where it applies, and the report records anything we couldn’t see.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from whoever owns or manages the building. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
Towns and villages near Cliffe
More services for Cliffe
Surveys for landlords and agents in Cliffe
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait, which helps with budgets and planning.
With a portfolio of properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the addresses.
How we price chimney surveys
We confirm the exact price before booking. These are the things that affect it:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The roof’s overall size
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The shape of the roof and its details
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
What we need to know
A little information up front helps. It helps to include:
- What’s prompted the survey
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- When you need the report by
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form to find out.
Checking the roof from the ground
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us as you book.
What this survey cannot tell you
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
What we’re asked to look at in Cliffe
Stacks that were used for open fires for many years can weaken from the inside. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
We’re often asked to look at:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
If you let a flat or house near Higham station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
What to check before booking
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Their track record with similar roofs
- What insurance they carry
Cliffe homes and their roofs
Cliffe is within about 2 miles of the coast, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles. Older houses across Kent often have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
With Temple Manor about 4.9 miles south, the area around Cliffe has a long history. On a period home nearby, the survey separates sound original work from tired later repairs. Take an older house close to Church of St Helen: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Cliffe is about 5 miles north of Rochester, in Medway. Whether the building in Cliffe is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. Cliffe is one of the towns and villages in Medway we cover. Maidstone is in our area too.
Surveys in ME3 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Local streets include Station Road, St Helens Road and Chesterton Road, and we cover them all. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Cliffe Woods (2 miles south), Church Street (2 miles south-west), Mockbeggar (3 miles south), Lower Higham (3 miles south-west) and Higham (4 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Gillingham (7 miles south-east), Chatham (7 miles south), Rochester (5 miles south), Rainham (8 miles south-east), Strood (5 miles south) and Luton (6 miles south).
What’s near Cliffe
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Evening Star pub, among other places. The closest station to Cliffe is Higham station, about 2.6 miles south-west. Nearby you will also find French Hospital (4.9 miles south) and Upnor Castle (3.8 miles south). Not far away are Gad's Hill and Thurrock Thameside Nature Park.
How the survey works
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes about 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Somewhere as small as Cliffe, access is often the only tricky part. Mention any outbuildings, barns or garages you want included, and anything about the roof you already know. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Tell us where we can park nearby
How to book
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and give us a few details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. We confirm the price before anything is booked.