Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Holborn
Chimney surveys across Holborn, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photos.
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
How a chimney survey works in Holborn
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. If you’ve noticed gaps where the stack meets the roof and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and brick chimney stacks alike.
Much of London’s housing is flats, in converted houses or purpose-built blocks, where the roof is typically a shared part of the building. Whoever looks after the building needs a clear picture of the roof, chimneys and gutters. Leaks from a shared roof rarely affect just one home. A report gives everyone the same picture to plan from, with photographs.
The report is written in plain words, so you don’t need to be a roofer to follow it. Photographs show what each point refers to.
- Location
- Holborn (WC1X, WC1N, EC1R)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Local roofs in Holborn
Dr Johnson's House, about 0.4 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Holborn. If you own one of the older houses, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you live near a park such as Lincoln's Inn Fields, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. If you let a flat or house near Farringdon station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Holborn is about 2 miles north-west of London, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Holborn across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Greater London.
Chimney surveys in WC1X, WC1N and EC1R are booked the same way as anywhere else. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square. Holborn sits on or near the A4 and A40. If you’re just outside Holborn, we cover Farringdon (1 mile east), St Pancras (1 mile north-west), Clare Market (1 mile south), Smithfield (1 mile east) and Temple Bar (1 mile south). Further out, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (13 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (4 miles south).
Local landmarks in Holborn
In Holborn, that means homes and buildings near The Yorkshire Grey pub, British Library of Political and Economic Science and City Academy, among other places. Nearby too are Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (0.9 miles north) and Lincoln's Inn Fields (under half a mile south-west). There’s a railway station in Holborn itself: Farringdon station. Nearby you will also find Montfichet's Tower (0.7 miles south-east) and Brunswick Centre (0.5 miles north-west). Not far away are Barnsbury Wood and Ludgate Hill.
When to book a survey in Holborn
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. People usually call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Look out for signs like these:
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- A chimney out of line
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Brunswick Centre, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
Why act early in Holborn
For a buyer, the best time to learn about a chimney is before exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. When the stain finally shows, the damage underneath is often older than it looks.
There are three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you’d like to know.
What you get with us
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Over 20 years’ experience
- PI and public liability insurance
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
Prices for chimney surveys in Holborn
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The shape of the roof and its details
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
What we need to know
These details help when you contact us:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The address and postcode of the property
For a price for chimney surveys in Holborn, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.
Nearby places to Holborn
What else we do in Holborn
How the survey changes by roof type
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report says what can and cannot be judged.
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
What happens on the day
Photos are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes about one to two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In Holborn, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is often by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you, and to clear a path to the loft hatch. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they frequently give the best view of a rear addition.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Leave side gates unlocked
How to book
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Read more
DIY checks: what’s safe
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
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.
Holborn: your questions answered
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Holborn?
It can be, so it helps to tell us about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book. That way the visit can be planned around it.
Can a landlord with a rental near Farringdon station book a roof survey?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
How long have you been surveying roofs?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Do you look in the loft space?
If there’s a loft and safe access to it, yes. The roof space can show things the outside can’t, like damp timbers, staining or daylight.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Holborn?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. We are experienced roof surveyors, and our survey covers the roof rather than the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.