Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Lower Hartlip, Kent
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Lower Hartlip, and put it all in a written report with photos.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
What affects the price in Lower Hartlip
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- How big the roof is
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Booking your survey
These details help when you get in touch:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Anything about access we should know
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know where you stand. Prices start from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
About our chimney survey in Lower Hartlip
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. You get a report with photos and our recommendations. We survey flaunching, chimney breasts and chimney pots and cowls, and common reasons people get in touch are bricks with flaking faces and lifted or split lead flashings.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. 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. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Most points in the report come with a picture, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Place
- Lower Hartlip (ME9)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
For landlords and managing agents
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run seven days a week, which can make access easier.
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. You are welcome to ask questions while we are there. Rural addresses near Lower Hartlip can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions are welcome. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Note where any stains or damp appear
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Getting a price
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
Common questions in Lower Hartlip
I let a flat near Newington station. Can you check the roof?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just phone 07833 053749 or email us with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in Lower Hartlip is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drones cannot fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We’ll rearrange with you if the weather is not right.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. For the rest of the building, a RICS home survey is a separate job.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. We do not carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, like cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
How quickly is the report sent?
Each package has its own report time. Basic is within 48 hours, Standard is 24–48 hours and Premium is the same day. If you have a deadline, such as an exchange date, tell us as you book.
Before and after the survey
There’s plenty you can do without going near the roof. Here’s what helps most:
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.
Leave it or get it looked at?
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. We record its condition and recommend a structural engineer where needed, so you know where you stand. Older and listed buildings around Lower Hartlip may need consent and matching materials for repairs, so leaving a defect until it is urgent leaves less time to plan.
The Premium Survey includes thermal imaging and drone inspection where applicable, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- PI and public liability insurance
- An independent view of the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- 98% of customers satisfied
See how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Towns and villages near Lower Hartlip
What else we do in Lower Hartlip
What we are asked to look at in Lower Hartlip
Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the pots and throws water off the top. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Mortar washing out of the joints
If you live near a park such as Foxburrow Wood, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- How long the report takes to arrive
- What the survey won’t cover
- What exactly goes into their report
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Lower Hartlip
The coast is about 4 miles or less from Lower Hartlip, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, while driving rain finds any gap. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Michael, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Hartlip Endowed Church of England Primary School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Lower Hartlip is about 3 miles south-east of Gillingham, in Kent. Lower Hartlip gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our area takes in places right across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our Maidstone page.
We cover every part of the ME9 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Lower Hartlip Road, Grainey Field and Old House Lane or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Close by, we survey roofs in Hartlip (1 mile west), Breach (1 mile north-east), Newington (1 mile east), Moor Street (1 mile north-west) and Meresborough (1 mile west). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (8 miles south-west), Sittingbourne (4 miles east), Gravesend (13 miles north-west), Faversham (11 miles east), Northfleet (14 miles north-west) and Minster (8 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Lower Hartlip
In Lower Hartlip, that means homes and buildings near Foxburrow Wood and Leigh Academy Rainham and the streets around them. Lower Hartlip’s nearest station is Newington station, about 1.1 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Court Hall Museum (3.8 miles east) and Bayford Court (4.3 miles east). Not far away are Detling Hill and Bishop Saltings.