Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Hayes, Greater London
Chimney surveys in Hayes from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Lifted or split lead flashings
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Chimney survey in Hayes: what you get
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. If something we see points to the flue, we’ll say so. We’re frequently asked to look into redundant stacks capped without ventilation and damp on a chimney breast inside, on shared and party-wall stacks, brick chimney stacks and chimney pots and cowls.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, 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 Hayes, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a close look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Hayes (BR4, BR2)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Chimney surveys in Hayes: local notes
In outer London, interwar semis with hipped, tiled roofs sit alongside older 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. Bromley Palace, about 2 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Hayes. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Take an older house close to St Mary the Virgin: corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Hawes Down Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Hayes is about 2 miles south of Bromley, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Hayes as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, large and small. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
We work across the BR4 and BR2 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. Local streets include Hawes Lane, Crest Road and Keswick Road, and we cover them all. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in West Wickham (1 mile west), Coney Hall (1 mile west), Bromley Common (1 mile north-east), Nash (1 mile south) and Eden Park (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover London (10 miles north-west), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (12 miles north-west), St Pancras (12 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (11 miles north).
Local landmarks in Hayes
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Coney Hall Recreation Ground, New Inn and Hayes School and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Hayes itself: Hayes (Kent) station. Nearby you will also find National Psychosis Unit (1.6 miles west) and Bethlem Museum of the Mind (1.1 miles east). Not far away are Summer Hill and Hutchinson's Bank.
Common questions in Hayes
I let a flat near Hayes (Kent) 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.
How do I find out if my home in Hayes is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed, ready to forward.
How many surveys have you done?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have completed over 5,000 surveys across London and South East England.
How long is the visit?
Most surveys take about one to two hours at a typical home, and more on a big or complicated roof. The report follows by email.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there is access. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Do you carry out surveys on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
Honest limits
We only report what can be seen safely on the day, so there are some things a survey can’t cover:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Signs you need a chimney survey in Hayes
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Signs that a stack is leaning
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near The Mall, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Are they insured for the work?
- What follow-up you get after the report
Other services in Hayes
Landlords, agents and block managers in Hayes
We survey roofs for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
How it works
Before we start, tell us why you’ve booked: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. Most visits take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. From the street, a London terrace usually shows only its front slope or parapet, so a visit in Hayes moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. If other people live in the building, tell us who can let us into the shared parts.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Booking a survey
You can call us seven days a week. For a price or to book, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Advice
What happens if roof problems are left?
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you know where you stand. Blocked gutters and hoppers on London houses overflow and soak brickwork, which can lead to damp inside. A small blockage left for a few winters becomes a damp problem.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so the price reflects that. You will know the figure before booking.
Why book with us
- Every finding written up with photos
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Prices that include VAT
- Over 20 years’ experience
Read our cost guide and our case studies.