Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Kitts End, Greater London
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Kitts End, with photos and a written report.
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Signs that a stack is leaning
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Kitts End
A damp patch on a chimney breast doesn’t always come from the same place. Water may be getting in at the top through cracked flaunching or an uncapped pot, through the brickwork, or at the flashings. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. We check each possibility and record what we find. You then know where to start. Common reasons to book are gaps in the mortar around the pots and damp on a chimney breast inside, across chimney breasts, brick chimney stacks and lead flashings.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Good slates can last over a hundred years, yet the nails often give out first and let slates slip. Homes in Kitts End are no exception. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
After the visit, you get a report with photos, emailed to you. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Place
- Kitts End (EN5)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
We confirm the price for your roof before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
A Basic Survey starts from £150, with VAT included. Standard is from £250 and Premium from £400, both inc. VAT. We confirm the exact price before booking.
What we need to know
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- What made you get in touch
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to ring 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.
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Brick stacks rely on sound pointing to keep water out. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Lead flashings
Lead flashings seal the joint between the stack and the roof. The survey looks at whether the lead is tight, sound and well fixed.
How the survey works
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings as a written report with photos, sent to you by email. As for time on site, most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. From the street, a London terrace typically shows only its front slope or parapet, so a visit in Kitts End moves between viewpoints: the pavement, upstairs windows, the loft and any safe spot at the back. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Tell us who holds the keys.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Tell us where we can park nearby
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
Book a survey
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what’s prompted the survey. We’ll confirm the price before booking.
Advice
Chimney surveys around Kitts End
Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Wyllyotts Manor, about 1.7 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Kitts End. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Trees in and around King George's Fields (Monken Hadley) shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls. If you look after a building such as Monken Hadley CofE Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Spires Shopping Centre, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Kitts End is about 2 miles south-west of Potters Bar, in Greater London. Bookings from Kitts End are handled just like any other: a call or an email, a price, then a date. We cover towns and villages across Greater London. There’s also a page for London.
Surveys in EN5 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We also cover the places around Kitts End: Dancers Hill (1 mile north-west), Hadley (1 mile south), High Barnet (1 mile south), South Mimms (2 miles north-west) and Ridge (2 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (13 miles south), City of Westminster (11 miles south), Marylebone (11 miles south), Kensington (12 miles south), St Pancras (11 miles south) and Shoreditch (11 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Kitts End
In Kitts End, that means homes and buildings near King George's Fields (Monken Hadley), Former King William IV Public House and Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and the streets around them. The closest station to Kitts End is Hadley Wood station, roughly 1.1 miles east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Spires Shopping Centre (1.2 miles south) and Potters Bar Museum (1.6 miles north). Not far away are Hadley Green and Darland's Lake.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Landlords, agents and building managers in Kitts End and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Landlords and agents in Kitts End book surveys as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photos.
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
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.
Common questions in Kitts End
Is parking a problem for a survey in Kitts End?
Typically it’s manageable with a little notice. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we’ll work around them.
How do I find out if my home in Kitts End is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
What’s in the report?
Written findings with photos, explaining the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our recommendations. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable and structural analysis.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Kitts End?
To arrange a survey, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us the address and what you need to know. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we are not structural engineers and do not carry out calculations. If we think you need an engineer, the report says so.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t 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.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a date, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
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.
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.