Greater London · London and the South East
Downe Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Downe, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Downe
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. 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. Common reasons to book are unused flues sealed without airflow and gaps where the stack meets the roof, across chimney pots and cowls, lead flashings and flaunching.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is typically a shared part of the building. Landlords, managing agents and residents’ companies need to know what condition it is in and what work is coming up, in Downe as anywhere. A defect on a shared roof can reach more than one flat. A report gives everyone the same picture to plan from, with photographs.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Photos show what each point refers to.
- Where
- Downe (BR6)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs for Downe
I let a flat near Chelsfield station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Downe?
Parking in Downe, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 5,000 surveys so far, across 20+ years of surveying roofs, with 98% customer satisfaction.
Will you check the loft?
Normally, if there’s one and it can be reached safely. The roof space can show things the outside cannot, such as damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Do you cover Downe?
Yes. We survey roofs in Downe and the rest of Greater London. To book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so we need permission from whoever owns or manages the building. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Light rain does not normally stop a survey, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so if conditions aren’t right we’ll arrange another day with you.
Nearby places to Downe
What else we do in Downe
When you need someone else
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
Local roofs in Downe
Down House, about 0.6 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Downe. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. If your home in Downe is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Whatever the covering, it is frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you own a rental within reach of Chelsfield station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you look after a building such as Downe Primary School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. Downe is in London, so parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day easier.
Downe is about 4 miles south-west of Orpington, in Greater London. If you’re in Downe, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Downe is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work. There’s also a page for London.
We work across BR6 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include High Street, North End Lane and Belle Vue Road, all of which we cover. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Farthing Street (1 mile north-west), Hazelwood (1 mile east), Luxted (1 mile south), Leaves Green (1 mile west) and Single Street (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as London (13 miles north-west), City of Westminster (15 miles north-west), Marylebone (15 miles north-west), St Pancras (15 miles north-west), Shoreditch (14 miles north-west) and Hoxton (15 miles north-west).
What’s near Downe
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Queens Head pub, Charles Darwin School and South Park. The closest station to Downe is Chelsfield station, about 2.6 miles north-east. A little further out are Crofton Roman Villa (2.7 miles north-east) and Princess Royal University Hospital (1.8 miles north). Not far away are Downe Bank Nature Reserve and Betsom's Hill.
Different roofs, different checks
Rendered stacks
Cracked render can let water in and trap it behind. We record any cracking and where it is.
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We record their condition with photos.
Tips that help
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Downe
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is typically a modest job. Leave it, and frost can work the stack loose and the job gets bigger. In a London terrace or conversion, a roof defect rarely stays your problem alone: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Downe
- Every finding written up with photos
- 20+ years’ experience
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
See our cost guide or two real surveys.
What a survey costs
To price your survey, we look at:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- The size of the roof
A small, low roof with good viewpoints takes less time than a tall, complicated one, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Booking your survey
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
How it works
We do not take risks to get a closer look. We inspect everything that’s safely in view, and if part of the roof can’t be seen, the report says so. Most visits take between one and two hours on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. Surveys in Downe can be booked for any day of the week. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- 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.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before we arrive
- Find any records of previous roof work
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Booking a survey
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We’ll confirm the price before booking.