Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Little Chart Forstal, Kent
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Little Chart Forstal, with photos and a written report.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Flaunching that has broken away
What affects the price in Little Chart Forstal
Survey packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- House, block, shop or office
- Which survey package you book
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, from £400 including VAT. We will tell you which package suits the questions you have.
Booking your survey
What helps most when you contact us:
- Anything about access we should know
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Booking is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email, tell us about the property and we’ll point you to the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
About our chimney survey in Little Chart Forstal
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. We record what we find with photographs and recommendations. Typical surveys look at signs that a stack is leaning and staining on walls around the chimney, on chimney breasts, flaunching and lead flashings.
Some older homes in villages like Little Chart Forstal are listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Where a building is listed, matching the existing roof materials is frequently expected.
You can share the report with anyone who needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Little Chart Forstal (TN27)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Little Chart Forstal
Also in Little Chart Forstal
How the survey works
When we arrive, we begin with a quick chat about the roof and anything that’s worrying you. We then inspect everything that can safely be seen. Most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a village or hamlet like Little Chart Forstal, the journey is planned beforehand: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. The roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from the loft where there’s safe access and from the roof where it is safe.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
Getting a price
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Advice
Tips from our surveys
There is plenty you can do without going near the roof. What helps most:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Little Chart Forstal
Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. With Godinton House about 2.2 miles south-east, Little Chart Forstal sits in an area with a long building history. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Shop and office owners around County Square may find that a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions. If you live in an older home near St Mary, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Little Chart Forstal is about 4 miles north-west of Ashford, in Kent. Little Chart Forstal is part of the area we cover as part of our work across London and South East England. We cover towns and villages across Kent. There is also a page for Maidstone.
All of TN27 is within our area for chimney surveys. Other places close to Little Chart Forstal include Little Chart (1 mile west), Pluckley (2 miles west), Fir Toll (2 miles west), Pluckley Thorne (2 miles west) and Chambers' Green (2 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Maidstone (13 miles north-west), Ashford (4 miles south-east), Canterbury (14 miles north-east), Sittingbourne (12 miles north), Faversham (10 miles north-east) and Hythe (15 miles south-east).
Around Little Chart Forstal
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Swan Inn And Former Stables, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Charing station, roughly 2.1 miles north. Nearby you will also find Romden Castle (4.1 miles south-west) and William Harvey Hospital (5.9 miles south-east).
What this survey cannot tell you
It’s useful to know what a survey won’t do before you book:
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
When to book a survey in Little Chart Forstal
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We note what’s visible in the loft space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
If you let a flat or house near Charing station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Before you book anyone
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Is VAT included in the price?
- Are they insured for the work?
- What happens after the report arrives
Your questions about chimney surveys in Little Chart Forstal
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Little Chart Forstal?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Little Chart Forstal within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. We survey roofs across London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route as you book.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Little Chart Forstal?
Just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
When does the report arrive?
Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24–48 hours and Premium reports on the same day. Each one is emailed, ready to forward.
Do you look in the roof space?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there is safe access. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement.
What does the report include?
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 it applies and structural analysis.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Don’t go up yourself.
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.