Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Hunsdon
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Hunsdon, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Worn or missing pointing
What you can safely check yourself
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
How a chimney survey works in Hunsdon
If you are 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. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. Common reasons to book are flashings pulling away from the stack and damp patches on chimney breasts, across chimney pots and cowls, chimney breasts and flaunching.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are frequently the first to give way.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, each with a short note and a photograph. You’ll see the good as well as the bad.
- Where
- Hunsdon (SG12)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Hunsdon questions
I let a flat near Roydon station. Can you check the roof?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details, and we will talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in Hunsdon is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the freeholder or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we are allowed to reach.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers, and it does not include calculations. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we will recommend one.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
We look from the ground, from windows and from the loft where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where it applies. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Also near Hunsdon
Also in Hunsdon
What happens on the day
Before we start, let us know why you’ve booked: 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. The visit usually takes about one to two hours at most homes, and longer for a large or complex roof. Somewhere like Hunsdon needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there is safe access and from the roof where it’s safe.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
- Tell us about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
Booking a survey
Photos help, if you have them. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine; never climb up to get a better view. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Read more
Honest limits
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Areas we cannot view from safe positions
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
What this survey covers
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
What we’re asked to look at in Hunsdon
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Cracked flaunching lets water in, and each winter makes it worse. Loose pots can follow.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Landlords with a home close to Roydon station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Before you book anyone
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Their insurance cover
Landlord and commercial surveys in Hunsdon
Landlords, agents and building managers in Hunsdon and across Hertfordshire can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or email us.
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Hunsdon
In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. Much Hadham Palace, about 3.6 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Hunsdon. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
If you live in an older home near St Francis Chapel, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Take a building like Hunsdon Junior Mixed and Infant School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Hunsdon is about 4 miles north-west of Harlow, in Hertfordshire. Bookings from Hunsdon are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. Hunsdon is one of the towns and villages in Hertfordshire where we work for chimney surveys. You can also see our page for Chelmsford.
We survey roofs across SG12 for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include High Street, Cunningham Grove and Wicklands Road, all of which we cover. If you are just outside Hunsdon, we cover Hunsdonbury (1 mile south), Widford (1 mile north), Nether Street (1 mile north), Wareside (2 miles north-west) and Babbs Green (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cover Stevenage (12 miles north-west), Bishop's Stortford (6 miles north-east), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles west), Hoddesdon (5 miles south-west), Cheshunt (8 miles south-west) and Hatfield (13 miles west).
Near you in Hunsdon
Around Hunsdon, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Crown pub, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Roydon station, roughly 2.4 miles south. Nearby you will also find Harlow Mill (3.3 miles east) and Henry Moore Studios and Gardens (2.4 miles north-east). Not far away are Hunsdon Mead.
Prices for chimney surveys in Hunsdon
When we price a survey, we consider:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 inc. VAT. We will tell you which package suits the questions you have.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- Where any leaks, stains or damp patches show inside
- When you need the report by
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know the address and what’s prompted the survey. You will know the price before anything is booked.