Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Hemel Hempstead
Get a clear view of the chimney stack at a property in Hemel Hempstead. Visits run on weekdays and weekends, in the daytime.
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
Chimney survey in Hemel Hempstead: what you get
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you are worried about pots or cowls that look unsafe and gaps in the mortar around the pots, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
Hemel Hempstead is big enough to have roofs from every era, with slate on older terraces, tiles on later houses and flat roofs on extensions, flats and shops. Each fails in its own way: slipped slates, cracked tiles, worn ridges, loose flashings, tired chimney stacks or blocked gutters. The roof type shapes what gets checked.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Hemel Hempstead (HP2, HP3, HP1)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Hemel Hempstead
How do I find out if my home in Hemel Hempstead is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Should a flat-roofed garage or porch in Hemel Hempstead be checked too?
Yes, if you’d like it included, mention it as you book. On buildings from before 2000, cement sheet roofs may contain asbestos and should be checked by a specialist asbestos surveyor before anyone disturbs them.
What insurance do you have?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, for every survey we carry out.
What’s the best way to book?
The quickest way is to ring 07833 053749 or email us. Give us the address and some details about the roof. We survey on weekdays and at weekends.
What should I do with a chimney I don’t use?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. In a conservation area or on a listed building, changes may need consent.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We inspect from wherever is safe: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where applicable. If part of a stack can’t be seen, the report says so.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- The size of the roof
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
Getting in touch
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Dates you’re working to, like exchange
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
Our phone lines are open seven days a week. To book or ask a question, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Also near Hemel Hempstead
More services for Hemel Hempstead
What a chimney survey looks like in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is one of the post-war new towns. Homes from the post-war decades are common in the new towns, many with low-pitched roofs in concrete tiles and flat-roofed garages or porches. On homes of that age, felt underlay, flat roofs, gutters and fixings may all be due attention. In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
With High Elms Manor about 4.6 miles south-east, the area around Hemel Hempstead has a long history. If you own one of the older houses, the roof may have been repaired many times, and the survey records how each part is holding up. Take a building like Broadfield Academy: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Landlords with a home close to Apsley station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Hemel Hempstead is about 24 miles north-west of London, in Hertfordshire. In Hemel Hempstead, as across Hertfordshire, every roof gets the same careful survey. Our Hertfordshire coverage includes Hemel Hempstead. You can also see our page for London.
Surveys in HP2, HP3 and HP1 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on The Queen's Square, High Street and Sun Square or a nearby road, we can survey it. With the A41 and A414 close by, Hemel Hempstead is simple for us to get to. We also cover Grovehill (1 mile west), Woodhall Farm (1 mile west), Adeyfield (1 mile north-east), Highfield (1 mile north) and Bennetts End (1 mile south-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (7 miles south-east), St Albans (6 miles east), Welwyn Garden City (12 miles east), Harpenden (6 miles north-east), Hatfield (10 miles east) and Borehamwood (10 miles south-east). Hemel Hempstead is one of the larger places we cover in Hertfordshire.
Near you in Hemel Hempstead
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Gadebridge Park, The Full House and Adeyfield School and the streets around them. The closest station to Hemel Hempstead is Apsley station, roughly 1.4 miles south of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Redbourn Museum (4 miles north-east) and Hemel Hempstead Hospital (0.5 miles west). For a walk, there’s Verulamium Lake and Long Deans.
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
If the report recommends a structural engineer, a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer, it will say why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
How it works
We photograph the roof as we go, so you can see in the report what we found and where. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available, including by drone where it’s applicable and the weather allows. Most surveys take an hour or two for most houses, and more on a big or complicated roof. If the property is near the centre of Hemel Hempstead, let us know about car parks or permit rules nearby. Inside, the loft and any room with a stain are the places we will want to see. Outside, we work round the building to find the safe viewpoints.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before the survey
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Booking a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or email us. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Advice
What you can safely check yourself
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Hemel Hempstead
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Hemel Hempstead and across Hertfordshire can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Why get it checked now?
If you’re thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it is useful to know its condition first. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent, so check with them first. In flats, shops and offices in Hemel Hempstead, a roof leak can reach more than one floor before it shows, soaking insulation, ceilings and whatever is below. Catching it early keeps the damage down.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why us?
- Prices that include VAT
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.