Kent · London and the South East
Farningham Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys across Farningham, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Chimney survey in Farningham: what you get
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We are frequently asked to look into pots or cowls that look unsafe and gaps in the mortar around the pots, on lead flashings, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks.
Some older homes in villages like Farningham are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Where
- Farningham (DA4)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
Not every roof costs the same to survey, for these reasons:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Roof area
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What we need to know
A little information up front helps. It helps to include:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Farningham: your questions answered
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Farningham?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Will you come out to Farningham?
Yes, Farningham is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
What insurance do you have?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
My chimney looks like it is leaning. What should I do?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning often comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in; we’ll agree the details as you book.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and the rules allow, yes. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and every flight depends on the airspace and the weather.
Places near Farningham
Also in Farningham
For landlords and managing agents
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant in advance.
Chimney surveys around Farningham
With Lullingstone Castle about 1.8 miles south-west, Farningham sits in an area with a long building history. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Older houses across Kent often have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
For landlords with property near Eynsford station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. Anyone responsible for a site like The Anthony Roper Primary School will know that its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you live in an older home near Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Farningham is about 5 miles south of Dartford, in Kent. Whether the building in Farningham is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, we can survey the roof. Farningham is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work. We also survey roofs in Maidstone.
Surveys in DA4 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether your property is on High Street, London Road and South Hall Close or a nearby road, we can help. We also cover Eynsford (1 mile south-west), Horton Kirby (1 mile north-east), Maplescombe (2 miles south-east), Speed Gate (2 miles east) and Fawkham Green (3 miles east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (15 miles south-east), Dartford (5 miles north), Sevenoaks (7 miles south), Gravesend (8 miles north-east), Tonbridge (13 miles south) and Northfleet (7 miles north-east).
What’s near Farningham
Typical jobs here are in homes near Pied Bull pub. The nearest railway station is Eynsford station, roughly 1.4 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Eynsford Castle (0.7 miles south-west) and Darenth Park Hospital (4.2 miles north). Not far away are The Warren.
The survey, step by step
On the day, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. After that, we look at everything we can see safely. The survey typically takes about one to two hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Older rural homes like those around Farningham can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints.
- 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.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Booking a survey
To get a price for chimney surveys in Farningham, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.
Related advice
Before and after the survey
Nothing here needs a ladder. Our suggestions:
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
Questions about the findings are always welcome. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.
What you can safely check yourself
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
It helps to keep a record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Different roofs, different checks
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
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. We check that they look secure and undamaged.