Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in East Barnet
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? We carry out chimney surveys in East Barnet and across Greater London, with plain-English findings.
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- A chimney out of line
East Barnet questions
Can parking be tricky for a visit in East Barnet?
It rarely stops a survey, but it is worth planning. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we will work around them.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Oakleigh Park station?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
What’s in the report?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, and ends with what we recommend. The most urgent items are made clear.
How long does the survey take?
It typically takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. You will then get the report by email, on the timescale of your package.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
There are a few common causes: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Don’t ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it’s stable.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in East Barnet
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. If you’ve noticed pots or cowls that look unsafe and signs that a stack is leaning, we can find out what’s behind it.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In East Barnet, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a close look rather than a glance from the street. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a proper look too.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Where
- East Barnet (N20, EN4, N14)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we do, step by step
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. All told, expect between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In East Barnet, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it is shared
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
Book a survey
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or email us and give us some details about the property and we’ll point you to the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Read more
Local roofs in East Barnet
In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older slate-roofed terraces. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Historic houses like Heath Hall, about 4.2 miles south, show how far back building in the area around East Barnet goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Mary the Virgin, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Landlords with a home close to Oakleigh Park station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
East Barnet is about 1 mile north-east of Whetstone, in Greater London. Bookings from East Barnet are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Our Greater London coverage includes East Barnet. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We work across N20, EN4 and N14 for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Dene Road, Pine Road and Capel Road or a nearby road, we can survey it. Close by, we survey roofs in Osidge (1 mile east), Brunswick Park (1 mile south-east), New Barnet (1 mile north-west), Whetstone (1 mile south-west) and Oakleigh Park (1 mile south-west). Larger places within reach include London (10 miles south), City of Westminster (8 miles south), Marylebone (8 miles south), Kensington (10 miles south), St Pancras (8 miles south) and Shoreditch (8 miles south-east).
Landmarks near East Barnet
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Oak Hill Park, Salcombe School and East Barnet School, among other places. Other local landmarks include The Cavalier pub (less than half a mile south) and Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum (1.8 miles south-west). The closest station to East Barnet is Oakleigh Park station, roughly 0.5 miles north-west. Well-known places in the area include Grand Arcade (1.7 miles south-west) and Finchley Memorial Hospital (2.2 miles south-west). Open spaces near East Barnet include Oakleigh Park Rail Cutting and Darland's Lake.
Common roof problems in East Barnet
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
We’re often asked to look at:
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A stack that appears to lean
- Cracked or missing flaunching
If you live near a park such as Oak Hill Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- What follow-up you get after the report
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
Leave it or get it looked at?
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a roofer. Work on a London roof is rarely simple to arrange, with parking, neighbours and access all to think about. That is a good reason to find problems early, while there is time to plan.
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. The price is always agreed first.
What you get with us
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Package prices that include VAT
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or our case studies.
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, and that sets some limits:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will point you to the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
Before and after the survey
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- 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
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Towns and villages near East Barnet
Other services in East Barnet
DIY checks: what’s safe
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. Please don’t climb up for a closer look.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Don’t go up yourself.