Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Hartlip, Kent
Chimney surveys across Hartlip, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
About our chimney survey in Hartlip
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney breasts, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are pots or cowls that look unsafe and eroded joints in the brickwork.
Some older homes in villages like Hartlip are listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
The report works through the roof section by section, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Hartlip (ME9)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Tips from our surveys
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Nearby places to Hartlip
Other services in Hartlip
Hartlip homes and their roofs
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Hartlip, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. You will also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Michael, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you own a rental within reach of Newington station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Hartlip is about 3 miles south-east of Gillingham, in Kent. Surveys in Hartlip work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our Kent coverage includes Hartlip and the places around it. Our Maidstone page covers surveys nearby.
We work across the ME9 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. You will find streets like The Street, Dane Close and Place Lane, all of which we cover. Other places close to Hartlip include Lower Hartlip (1 mile east), Moor Street (1 mile north-west), Breach (1 mile north-east), Meresborough (1 mile west) and Newington (1 mile east). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (7 miles south-west), Sittingbourne (4 miles east), Gravesend (13 miles north-west), Faversham (11 miles east), Northfleet (14 miles north-west) and Minster (9 miles north-east).
Around Hartlip
Around Hartlip, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Leigh Academy Rainham and Foxburrow Wood. Hartlip’s nearest station is Newington station, roughly 1.3 miles east of the centre. A little further out are Bayford Court (4.5 miles east) and Medway Maritime Hospital (4.8 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Detling Hill and Bishop Saltings.
Hartlip questions
I let a flat near Newington station. Can you check the roof?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Hartlip, take more of a battering?
Frequently, yes. Within about 4 miles of the sea, as Hartlip is, metal fixings wear faster and gales find any loose ridge or slate.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast typically means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping, and record what we find.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where applicable cover most of what’s needed.
What does the report include?
You get our findings in writing, part by part, with photos, finishing with recommendations. The most urgent items are made clear.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it is capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
What affects the price in Hartlip
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- How big the roof is
There are 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 to let us know when you get in touch
A few details help us suggest the right survey and price. When you get in touch, it helps to mention:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- The kind of building and roof involved
For a price for chimney surveys in Hartlip, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you’d like to know help us give you an accurate price.
What this survey cannot tell you
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Conditions inside walls
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll suggest the right survey. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Hartlip
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
What we look for on each type of roof
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
What we’re asked to look at in Hartlip
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. In time, the pots can become loose.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
Take a building like Hartlip Endowed Church of England Primary School: 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
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- What the report includes, and whether it has photos
What happens on the day
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the loft space is checked as well as the outside. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement, as far as the space allows. All in, the survey usually takes between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Around Hartlip, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it is useful to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. We only go where it is safe.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Preparing for the visit
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Arrange a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.