Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Highams Park, Greater London
Find out the condition of the chimney stack at your property in Highams Park from an independent roof surveyor. We visit on weekdays and at weekends.
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
The survey, step by step
Safety comes first on every visit. Everything that can be seen safely is inspected, and if part of the roof cannot be seen, the report says so. The survey normally takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In Highams Park, as in much of London, plenty of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, tell us when you book.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Keep pets in another room
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Getting a price
Once you know what you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Advice
Chimney survey in Highams Park
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the loft space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. Common reasons to book are gaps where the stack meets the roof and worn or missing pointing, across brick chimney stacks, flaunching and shared and party-wall stacks.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. From the street you see only a parapet wall, so blocked outlets and split linings go unnoticed until water comes through a ceiling. For a house in Highams Park with this kind of roof, the hidden gutter is one of the first things to check.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: your solicitor, the seller, your insurer, a roofer or the building’s managing agent.
- Place
- Highams Park (E4, E17, IG8)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
Our packages start from £150, inc. VAT. The price for your roof depends on:
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Which survey package you book
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What we need to know
A little information up front helps. Please include:
- What’s prompted the survey
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and give us some details about the property and we will explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.
Before and after the survey
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Check redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, including offices, shops and units. Bigger roofs take more time.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, with the report sent to whoever needs it. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
What we’re asked to look at in Highams Park
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
It’s worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A stack that appears to lean
If you live near a park such as Lloyd Park, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Before you book anyone
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What happens after the report arrives
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Their track record with similar roofs
Highams Park questions
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Highams Park?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day run more smoothly.
Is my home in Highams Park listed or in a conservation area?
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.
Does the report include photos?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, which makes the report easy to follow.
Are you insured?
We’re covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
What’s the best way to book?
It’s easiest to phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form. Let us know the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll take it from there. Surveys run on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers. We’ll recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. If we see materials that could contain asbestos, like cement roof sheets or soffits on buildings from before 2000, we flag them, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Chimney surveys in Highams Park: local notes
Outer London has lots of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. With Bruce Castle about 2.6 miles west, Highams Park sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently 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.
The streets around a church such as St John's are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. For landlords with property near Highams Park station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Highams Park is about 1 mile south of Chingford, in Greater London. We cover Highams Park and the rest of Greater London. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. London is in our area too.
We work across E4, E17 and IG8 for chimney surveys. You will find streets like May Road, Adam Road and Cecil Road, all of which we cover. Close by, we survey roofs in South Chingford (1 mile north-west), Hale End (1 mile east), Chingford Mount (1 mile north), Chingford Hatch (1 mile north-east) and Chingford (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover London (8 miles south-west), City of Westminster (9 miles south-west), Marylebone (8 miles south-west), Kensington (11 miles south-west), St Pancras (7 miles south-west) and Shoreditch (6 miles south-west).
What’s near Highams Park
Around Highams Park, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The King's Ford pub, Lloyd Park and Selwyn Primary School. The nearest railway station is Highams Park station, about 0.7 miles east. Nearby you’ll also find Walthamstow Pump House Museum (2.2 miles south) and Wanstead Hospital (2.3 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Highams Park Lake and Pole Hill.
What happens if roof problems are left?
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a suitable contractor. In Highams Park, 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.
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and let us know about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What you get with us
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- Over 20 years’ experience
Take a look at what a roof survey costs or two real surveys.