Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Markyate
Chimney surveys in Markyate, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- A chimney out of line
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Landlords and agents in Markyate book surveys as well as homeowners. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, putting the urgent items at the top.
About our chimney survey in Markyate
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a sweep or a gas safety check. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We’ll tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey flaunching, chimney breasts and lead flashings, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are redundant stacks capped without ventilation and worn or missing pointing.
In a smaller place like Markyate, some roofs stand more exposed to wind and rain than in a built-up town. That weather tells first on ridges, verges, chimneys and flashings. A close look shows whether anything has started to loosen before it lets water in. A loose ridge tile or slate gives the wind something to catch, and others soon follow.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, with a note and a photo for each point. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Where
- Markyate (AL3)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, often with a cowl or cap on top. We check that they look secure and undamaged.
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a suitable contractor. With lower homes, common in places like Markyate, there’s little between a roof defect and the ceiling, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Catching the cause first saves redecorating as well.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Markyate
- A written report with photos
- Drone and thermal imaging surveys available
- 98% of clients satisfied
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Checking the roof from ground level
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Overflowing water can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
A lot can be seen from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.
Nearby places to Markyate
What else we do in Markyate
Markyate: your questions answered
Can a landlord with a rental near Luton Airport Parkway station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and a few details.
How do I find out if my home in Markyate is listed?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photos are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that in advance, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It can, depending on the survey. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, 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.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t carry out asbestos surveys or testing. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings, and recommend a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before they’re disturbed.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Chimney surveys around Markyate
An older home may be listed, or stand in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
The streets around a church such as Markyate Methodist Church are often among the oldest in a place, and if your house is among the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. Landlords with a home close to Luton Airport Parkway station may find that a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak. If you look after a building such as Markyate Village School and Nursery, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Markyate is in Hertfordshire. Surveys in Markyate work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Markyate is one of the places in Hertfordshire where we work for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our Milton Keynes page.
Here we cover the AL3 postcode area for chimney surveys. Local streets include High Street, London Road and Sebright Road. We also cover the places around Markyate: Roe End (1 mile south-west), Flamstead (2 miles south-east), Friar's Wash (2 miles south-east) and Trowley Bottom (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Watford (12 miles south), Hemel Hempstead (6 miles south), Stevenage (13 miles north-east), St Albans (8 miles south-east), Welwyn Garden City (12 miles east) and Harpenden (5 miles east).
Local landmarks in Markyate
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Local pub and the streets around them. The closest station to Markyate is Luton Airport Parkway station, roughly 3.8 miles north-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Mossman Collection (2.6 miles north-east) and Luton Castle (3.3 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Landpark Wood.
What we cannot see
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. Other limits to bear in mind:
- Conditions inside walls
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Whether the flue is safe to use
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will suggest the right survey before booking. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
Roofs we survey in Markyate
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
How the survey works
Expect us to ask a few questions before we start, like when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes about one to two hours at most homes, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. A visit to a smaller place like Markyate is no different on the day: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. It helps to show us anything you’ve already noticed.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Check pets are kept safely away
- Leave a clear route to the loft
Booking a survey
Getting a price is simple: just ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and give us some details about the property and we’ll explain which survey suits. The price is agreed up front.