Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Herne Hill, Greater London
Wondering about the chimney stack at a property in Herne Hill? We carry out chimney surveys in Herne Hill and across Greater London, with plain-English findings.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
Herne Hill: your questions answered
Can a landlord with a rental near North Dulwich station book a roof survey?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Is my home in Herne Hill listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys.
What should I do with a chimney I do not use?
There is no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it is capped with ventilation. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
How soon will I get the report?
That depends on the survey you book: the Basic Survey report arrives within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey the same day. Reports are sent by email.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. Everything is written up with photographs.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but we don’t provide calculations or an engineer’s opinion. The report will say if you need an engineer.
Chimney survey in Herne Hill: what you get
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: the pots and cowls, the flaunching on top, the pointing, the brickwork and the flashings where it meets the roof. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. Typical surveys look at disused chimneys trapping moisture and flaunching that has broken away, on shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and brick chimney stacks.
A London butterfly roof slopes down to a central valley gutter that drains to the back of the house. Hidden behind the parapet, that gutter can block or split without anyone seeing it. If your home in Herne Hill has one, it needs checking from somewhere that can actually see it.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Herne Hill (SE22, SW2, SE24)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Chimney surveys around Herne Hill
About 1.7 miles south lies Kingswood House, a reminder of how long the area around Herne Hill has been built on. 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. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. Many have butterfly roofs draining to a central valley gutter, with parapet walls and gutters hidden behind them. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you run a business near Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies. Take a building like Judith Kerr Primary School: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you own a rental within reach of North Dulwich station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Herne Hill is about 3 miles south of London, in Greater London. We cover Herne Hill and the rest of Greater London. Across Greater London, we cover Herne Hill.
Chimney surveys in SE22, SW2 and SE24 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Jelf Road, Dewey Lane and Talma Road and the roads around them. Main roads around Herne Hill include the A204 and A2214, which makes travel easy. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Dulwich Village (1 mile south-east), East Dulwich (1 mile north-east), Dulwich (1 mile south-east), Denmark Hill (1 mile north) and Camberwell (1 mile north). We also work in nearby towns like London (3 miles north), City of Westminster (5 miles north-west), Marylebone (5 miles north-west), Kensington (6 miles north-west), St Pancras (5 miles north) and Shoreditch (5 miles north).
What’s near Herne Hill
Around Herne Hill, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Charter School, Half Moon pub and Belair Park. There’s a railway station in Herne Hill itself: North Dulwich station. Other landmarks nearby include Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (3.5 miles north-east) and House of Dreams Museum (0.7 miles north-east). Not far away are Battersea Park Lake and Knight's Hill.
What this survey can’t tell you
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If you are not sure which survey you need, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
What happens if roof problems are left?
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you know where you stand. In Herne Hill, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Dealing with it early is far less disruptive.
Every price we give includes VAT. Prices start from £150, including VAT. You’ll know the price for your survey before you book.
Why book with us
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
See what a roof survey costs or what we found on two real jobs.
DIY checks: what’s safe
A lot can be seen 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.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Places near Herne Hill
More services for Herne Hill
Different roofs, different checks
Chimney breasts and the loft
Damp patches on chimney breasts frequently point to a problem above. We check the breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach.
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, often with a cowl or cap on top. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
How it works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. 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. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. Where that’s the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- If you’re buying, check with the agent that we can get in
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
Book a survey
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. From there it’s a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day.
Read more
Useful tips for Herne Hill property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
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.