Greater London · London and the South East
Harrow Chimney Survey
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Harrow, with photographs and a written report.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A chimney out of line
- Bricks with flaking faces
Can I check my roof myself?
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and a fall can be serious. That part is for a survey.
It helps to keep a record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Share it with us when you book and it will help the survey.
About our chimney survey in Harrow
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the loft space. We record what we find with photos and recommendations. If you are worried about a stack that appears to lean and bricks with flaking faces, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, frequently 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 Harrow, as across London, that is 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.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Each point is backed by a photo where possible.
- Location
- Harrow (HA2, HA1, UB5, HA3)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from Harrow
How do I find out if my home in Harrow is listed?
We cannot 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 parking be an issue for a roof survey in Harrow?
Parking in Harrow, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day run more smoothly.
What happens next?
The report arrives by email, with photos and clear recommendations. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation, and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
How can you see the top of the stack?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where it applies. If part of a stack can’t be seen, the report says so.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
It’s worth having a leaning stack checked. We record the lean, the brickwork and the pointing, and if it may be a structural issue, we recommend a structural engineer.
What’s in the report?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, with photographs throughout. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too, so you know exactly what was covered.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Harrow
Landlords and letting agents in Harrow book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs, useful for planning maintenance.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Harrow and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
What we’re asked to look at in Harrow
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
Shop and office owners around St. George's Shopping Centre may find that knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Whether the price includes VAT
- What experience they bring
- Are they insured for the work?
What this survey can’t tell you
A survey is a close look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. Its limits include:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you are not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
Before and after the survey
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where, as far as we could see.
Get small mortar repairs done while they’re small. It is far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
Chimney surveys around Harrow
Historic houses such as Headstone Manor, about 1.4 miles north, show how far back building in the area around Harrow goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as 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. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Anyone responsible for a site like Whitmore High School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Landlords with a home close to Harrow-on-the-Hill station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Harrow is about 7 miles south of Watford, in Greater London. Harrow is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. We also survey roofs in London.
Chimney surveys in HA2, HA1, UB5 and HA3 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on High Street, London Road and Perceval Square or anywhere close by, we can help. Being close to the B457 and B458, Harrow is simple for us to get to. Close by, we survey roofs in Roxeth (1 mile south), South Harrow (1 mile south), North Harrow (1 mile north-west), Harrow on the Hill (1 mile south-east) and Rayners Lane (1 mile west). Further out, we also cover London (12 miles south-east), City of Westminster (9 miles south-east), Marylebone (10 miles south-east), Kensington (8 miles south-east), St Pancras (11 miles east) and Shoreditch (12 miles east).
Landmarks near Harrow
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Kingsfield Arms, Grange Primary School and Northwick Park. Harrow’s nearest station is Harrow-on-the-Hill station, roughly 0.7 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include St. George's Shopping Centre (0.7 miles north-east) and Clementine Churchill Hospital (1 mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Islip Manor Meadows and Northala Fields.
Nearby places to Harrow
More services for Harrow
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. If you have questions on the day, just ask. In a London conversion, the way into the loft space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. If that applies to your building, it is useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- 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 check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
Book a survey
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.