Greater London · London and the South East
Earl's Court Chimney Survey
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Earl's Court.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Earl's Court
Redundant chimneys are common, especially where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. 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. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. Common reasons to book are gaps where the stack meets the roof and eroded joints in the brickwork, across chimney breasts, flaunching and brick chimney stacks.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, so roofs are often shared between several households. Whoever looks after the building needs a clear picture of the roof, chimneys and gutters. Leaks from a shared roof rarely affect just one home. A report gives everyone the same picture to plan from, with photographs.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Place
- Earl's Court (W14, W8, SW5)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Chimney surveys in Earl's Court: local notes
With Garden Lodge about 0.3 miles north-west, Earl's Court sits in an area with a long building history. 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. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you own a rental within reach of West Brompton station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Anyone responsible for a site like St Cuthbert with St Matthias CofE Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Living close to Gwendwr Garden is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Earl's Court is about 1 mile south-east of Kensington, in Greater London. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Earl's Court can all book chimney surveys. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages.
All of W14, W8 and SW5 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Sun Road, Star Road and Rich Lane, and we cover them all. Earl's Court sits on or near the A3218 and A3220, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around Earl's Court: West Brompton (1 mile south), South Kensington (1 mile east), Little Chelsea (1 mile south-east), World's End (1 mile south-east) and Walham Green (1 mile south). Within a short drive, we also cover London (4 miles east), Marylebone (3 miles north-east), St Pancras (4 miles north-east), Shoreditch (6 miles north-east), Walthamstow (10 miles north-east) and Hoxton (6 miles north-east).
Near you in Earl's Court
Around Earl's Court, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Abdus Salam Library, Gwendwr Garden and Courtfield pub. Also close by are The Fulham Boys School (within half a mile west) and Collingham College (less than half a mile east). Earl's Court has its own railway station: West Brompton station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (4.4 miles east) and Kensington Arcade (0.7 miles north). For a walk, there’s Campden Hill and The Long Water.
Nearby places to Earl's Court
What else we do in Earl's Court
Roof by roof
Flaunching
Flaunching is the mortar on top of a stack that holds the pots and sheds water. Cracks in it let water into the stack.
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
Checking the roof from the ground
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Take a photo and write down when you saw it.
Useful tips for Earl's Court property owners
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. That helps you brief them.
Check redundant flues are capped with ventilation. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
FAQs for Earl's Court
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Earl's Court?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Earl's Court?
It can be, so it’s useful to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, so you can see what we mean.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only if it’s safe. We look at everything that can safely be seen: from ground level, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it is safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. We inspect whatever is safely visible and what you give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can raise it with them.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it is doing. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need permission from the council and the council can advise. In Earl's Court, as across London, an overflowing gutter soaks the wall below. A small blockage left for a few winters becomes a damp problem.
Prices start from £150, including VAT, for a Basic Survey. The Standard Survey starts from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, both inc. VAT. You’ll know the price for the job before booking.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Earl's Court
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- An independent look at the roof
- Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
See what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
How the survey works
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs. As for time on site, it normally takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. From the street, a London terrace normally shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Earl's Court we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Getting ready for the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Booking a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Related advice
What a survey costs
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- Height and safe access
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
- The roof’s overall size
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
One thing that affects the price is the package: from £150 for Basic, £250 for Standard and £400 for Premium, including VAT. Size, height and access can affect the price too.
Getting in touch
You do not need to know any roofing terms. Just let us know:
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Photos of the roof, taken safely from ground level or a window
- The property’s address and postcode
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.