Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Harmondsworth, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Harmondsworth, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Tips that help
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Check fixings on the stack are sound and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
Chimney survey in Harmondsworth
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We look at what can safely be seen and what the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can then discuss it with them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. Typical surveys look at flashings pulling away from the stack and cracked or missing flaunching, on chimney pots and cowls, lead flashings and chimney breasts.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. Hidden behind the parapet, that gutter can block or split without anyone seeing it. If your home in Harmondsworth has one, it needs checking from somewhere that can actually see it.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend.
- Where
- Harmondsworth (UB7, TW6)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Harmondsworth
Many chimneys are no longer used. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. That can lead to damp patches on chimney breasts, even with the roof in good order.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Mary, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- How soon the report will arrive
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
The survey, step by step
The visit normally starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. All told, expect about 1–2 hours at most homes, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. In Harmondsworth, as in much of London, plenty of properties are flats or terraces without 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, let us know as you book.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
How to book
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will explain the options and the price.
Related advice
Can I check my roof myself?
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date.
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from ground level and any work done on the roof. Share it with us when booking and it will help the survey.
Questions from Harmondsworth
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Harmondsworth?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Harmondsworth?
It can be, so it’s useful to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover our surveys. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
How much is a survey?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose.
Does someone need to be in?
It depends on what we need to see. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it’s safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is 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.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Harmondsworth
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with the building owner or managing agent. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
What a chimney survey looks like in Harmondsworth
Outer London has plenty of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, so check with the council.
Take a building like Harmondsworth Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. Parking in Harmondsworth, as in most of London, takes a little planning: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book.
Harmondsworth is about 1 mile south-west of West Drayton, in Greater London. Whether the building in Harmondsworth is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed on a weekday or at the weekend. Harmondsworth is one of the towns and villages in Greater London we cover for chimney surveys. London is in our area too.
All of UB7 and TW6 is covered for chimney surveys. Local streets include Moor Lane, Hatch Lane and High Street, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Longford (1 mile south-west), Sipson (1 mile north-east), Heathrow (2 miles south-east), Harlington (2 miles east) and Stanwell (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as City of Westminster (14 miles east), Marylebone (14 miles east), Kensington (12 miles east), Hampstead (14 miles east), Ruislip (7 miles north-east) and Brompton (14 miles east).
Landmarks near Harmondsworth
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Harlington Community School and The Five Bells Inn. Harmondsworth’s nearest station is Heathrow Terminal 5 Rail station, roughly 1 mile south. Well-known places in the area include British Airways Heritage Collection (3.5 miles north) and Harlington (1.4 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Crane Meadows and Staines Reservoirs.
Nearby places to Harmondsworth
Also in Harmondsworth
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would normally be. They crack with age, and we check them too.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.