Oxfordshire · London and the South East
Henwood Chimney Survey
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. Chimney surveys in Henwood, with photos and a clear written report.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
How a chimney survey works in Henwood
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. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We survey flaunching, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings, and common reasons people get in touch are disused chimneys trapping moisture and a chimney out of line.
Older buildings in small places like Henwood may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
Nothing in the report is left vague: if work is needed, the report says so clearly, along with how urgent it is.
- Where
- Henwood (OX1)
- Wider area
- Oxfordshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Can I check my roof myself?
After heavy rain, check ceilings and the tops of walls for new stains. Photograph them and note the date, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
When you need someone else
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
FAQs for Henwood
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Oxford station?
Of course. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Henwood?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
What does a roof survey cost?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT.
How experienced are you?
We have been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
What happens next?
You will receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. We look at the parts we are given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Useful tips for Henwood property owners
A little preparation and a few simple habits help. Some pointers:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Different roofs, different checks
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Chimney surveys in Henwood: local notes
With Appleton Manor about 1.7 miles west, Henwood sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Older buildings in west Oxfordshire often have Cotswold stone slate roofs, and some Oxfordshire villages still have thatch. Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Westgate Shopping Centre, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Wootton St Peter's Church of England Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you own one of the older houses in the streets near Church of St Peter, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Henwood is about 3 miles north-west of Abingdon-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. Whether the building in Henwood is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Henwood is one of the places in Oxfordshire where we work for chimney surveys.
All of OX1 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Local streets include Cumnor Road, Hill View Lane and White Hill Lane. If you are just outside Henwood, we cover Wootton (1 mile south), Cumnor (1 mile north-west), Chawley (1 mile north), Appleton (2 miles west) and Dean Court (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Oxford (5 miles north-east), Didcot (8 miles south-east), Bicester (15 miles north-east), Abingdon-on-Thames (3 miles south-east), Witney (9 miles north-west) and Carterton (12 miles west).
Local landmarks in Henwood
We work in homes and buildings around Matthew Arnold School and The Bystander pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Oxford station, roughly 3.4 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Westgate Shopping Centre (3.5 miles north-east) and The Story Museum (3.6 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Cumnor Hill and Lashford Lane Fen.
Places near Henwood
Other services in Henwood
How the survey works
The visit typically starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there’s safe access. All told, expect about one to two hours for a house, and longer for a large or complex roof. In a hamlet or village like Henwood, a postcode doesn’t always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- You tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Getting ready for the survey
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Arrange a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.