Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Greenhill, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Greenhill, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
What happens on the day
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there is safe access, from inside the loft space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes an hour or two for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Many London properties are flats or terraces with no side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, tell us when you book.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Getting ready for the survey
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Book a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Related advice
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Greenhill
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. We survey chimney breasts, lead flashings and flaunching, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are flaunching that has broken away and damp patches on chimney breasts.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In Greenhill, as across London, that is why a roof needs a careful look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
You receive the findings by email, ready to forward to whoever needs them. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Where
- Greenhill (NW3, NW6)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Greenhill questions
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Hampstead Heath station?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
How do I find out if my home in Greenhill is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and they go into the written report alongside our recommendations.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We note visible signs like sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
It can come from several places: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
Places near Greenhill
Other services in Greenhill
Useful tips for Greenhill property owners
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
Where another specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. That helps you brief them.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
What this survey cannot tell you
Before you book, it’s worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Greenhill
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Greenhill
Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces frequently 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. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. About 0.3 miles north-east lies 2 Willow Road, a reminder of how long the area around Greenhill has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Living close to Hampstead Heath is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you live in an older home near Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Greenhill is about 1 mile north-east of Hampstead, in Greater London. If you’re in Greenhill, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Our area takes in places right across Greater London.
We work across the NW3 and NW6 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Streets in the area include Back Lane, Well Road and Ornan Road, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Hampstead (1 mile south-west), Vale of Health (1 mile north), West Hampstead (1 mile west), Fortune Green (1 mile west) and Haverstock (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover London (5 miles south-east), City of Westminster (3 miles south), Marylebone (3 miles south-east), Kensington (4 miles south), St Pancras (3 miles south-east) and Shoreditch (5 miles south-east).
What’s near Greenhill
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Cecil Sharp House, Fitzjohn's Primary School and King William IV Public House. Nearby too are South Hampstead High School (0.6 miles south) and Hampstead Heath (0.7 miles north-east). Greenhill has its own railway station: Hampstead Heath station. Other landmarks nearby include New End Hospital (within half a mile north-west) and Montfichet's Tower (4.3 miles south-east). Open spaces near Greenhill include Belsize Wood and Parliament Hill.
DIY checks: what’s safe
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
When to book a survey in Greenhill
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
Common reasons to book include:
- Worn or missing pointing
- A stack that appears to lean
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Anyone responsible for a site like The Royal School will know that long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- What experience they bring
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see