Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Loxford, Greater London
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Loxford, with photos and a clear written report.
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- A stack that appears to lean
- Staining on walls around the chimney
Your questions about chimney surveys in Loxford
Can a landlord with a rental near Barking station book a roof survey?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Loxford?
Parking in Loxford, as in most of London, takes a little planning: a visitor permit or a bay close to the door helps a lot.
Do you need to go on the roof to check the chimney?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. Our Premium Survey includes a drone inspection where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Do you look in the loft space?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there is safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
What’s in the survey report?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, backed by photographs. Anything we couldn’t see safely is noted too.
What insurance do you have?
We hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
About our chimney survey in Loxford
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. We survey lead flashings, flaunching and chimney breasts, and the problems we are asked to look at most are bricks with flaking faces and flaunching that has broken away.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, frequently 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. In Loxford, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a proper look rather than a glance from the street. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a close look too.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Loxford (IG1, IG11, IG3)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Loxford
What else we do in Loxford
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, frequently with a cowl or cap on top. We check that they look secure and undamaged.
Flaunching
Cracked flaunching is one of the most common chimney defects we record. It’s usually a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Why act early in Loxford
Cracked flaunching and worn pointing are frequently modest repairs when they’re caught early. Leave it, and frost can work the stack loose and the job gets bigger. Behind a London parapet, a blocked gutter can sit full of water without anyone seeing it. By the time a ceiling stains, the timbers underneath may have been wet for a while.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What you get with us
- A written report with photos
- Drone flown under a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- 5,000+ surveys completed
Read how roof surveys are priced and our case studies.
The survey, step by step
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. In total, it takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. From the street, a London terrace typically shows only its front slope or parapet, so a visit in Loxford 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 tell us whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Getting a price
Most bookings start with a short call: call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Advice
What we can’t see
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- Conditions inside walls
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
What a chimney survey looks like in Loxford
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. If your home in Loxford is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. With Eastbury Manor House about 1.2 miles south-east, Loxford sits in an area with a long building history. If your home is one of the older ones, expect a mix of original materials and later repairs on the roof.
For landlords with property near Barking station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let. Anyone responsible for a site like Woodlands Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near St Luke's Church, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first.
Loxford is about 3 miles north-east of Plaistow, in Greater London. Loxford is one of many places we visit across Greater London, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Our Greater London coverage includes Loxford. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Here we cover the IG1, IG11 and IG3 postcode area for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Dane Road, Eton Road and Natal Road. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Ilford (1 mile north), Manor Park (1 mile west), Barking (1 mile south-east), Little Ilford (1 mile west) and Wallend (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (8 miles south-west), City of Westminster (10 miles west), Marylebone (10 miles west), Kensington (13 miles west), St Pancras (9 miles west) and Shoreditch (7 miles west).
Landmarks near Loxford
In Loxford, that means homes and buildings near The Barking Dog pub, Loxford School and Loxford Park and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Barking station, roughly 0.6 miles south of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Gallions Reach Shopping Park (2.6 miles south) and Redbridge Museum (0.8 miles north-west). Not far away are Hollow Pond and Ripple Nature Reserve.
Before and after the survey
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
Where another specialist is needed, like a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. It gives them a clear starting point.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. Ventilation helps keep the stack dry.
What you can safely check yourself
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.