Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Hacklinge, Kent
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Hacklinge, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
About our chimney survey in Hacklinge
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. We record what we find with photographs and recommendations. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney breasts and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are pots or cowls that look unsafe and cracked or missing flaunching.
Older buildings in small places like Hacklinge may be 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 such as clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Location
- Hacklinge (CT14)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
Also near Hacklinge
What else we do in Hacklinge
Hacklinge: your questions answered
Will you come out to Hacklinge?
Yes, Hacklinge is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house, with the route planned beforehand.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Hacklinge?
Yes, coastal weather is harder on roofs: there’s more wind, and more salt in the air. Exposed details such as ridges, verges, flashings and metal fixings are the ones to watch, and Hacklinge is within about 3 miles of the coast.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. Many houses share stacks with a neighbour. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
When does the report arrive?
Report times are set by the package. Basic is within 48 hours, Standard is 24–48 hours and Premium is the same day. If you have a deadline, such as an exchange date, tell us when you book.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and recommend a structural engineer where it may be a structural concern.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
The whole stack, as far as it can be seen safely: from the pots and flaunching down to the flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
Different roofs, different checks
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.
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render cannot be seen without removing some, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
What we can’t see
No survey can tell you everything, and it’s better to know them up front. Bear these in mind:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
If you’re not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
What we do, step by step
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. Then the inspection itself takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere like Hacklinge needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
How to book
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Advice
What happens if roof problems are left?
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. Once you’ve exchanged, the work is down to you. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Older cottages and farmhouses around Hacklinge can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it’s left.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT, and we can help you choose.
Why book with us
- A report with photos
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- PI and public liability insurance
- Visits on any day of the week
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
Do you need a chimney survey in Hacklinge?
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. 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.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Anyone responsible for a site like Worth Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
What to check before booking
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
Chimney surveys in Hacklinge: local notes
The coast is about 3 miles or less from Hacklinge, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you own a rental within reach of Sandwich station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. If you live near a park such as Betteshanger Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Hacklinge is about 2 miles north-west of Deal, in Kent. Bookings from Hacklinge are handled just like any other: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Our Kent coverage includes Hacklinge and the places around it. For surveys nearby, see our Canterbury page.
All of CT14 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Homemead Lane and Hacklinge Hill or a nearby road, we can survey it. We also cover the places around Hacklinge: Finglesham (1 mile south-west), Marley (1 mile south-west), Worth (1 mile north-west), Ham (1 mile west) and Felderland (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover Canterbury (12 miles west), Margate (10 miles north), Dover (8 miles south), Folkestone (14 miles south-west), Ramsgate (7 miles north) and Broadstairs (9 miles north).
Local landmarks in Hacklinge
In Hacklinge, that means homes and buildings near The Coach pub, Sandwich Technology School and Betteshanger Park, among other places. The closest station to Hacklinge is Sandwich station, about 2 miles north of the centre. A little further out are Sandown Castle (2.1 miles east) and Deal Museum (2.3 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Monk's Wall nature reserve.