Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Mottingham
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Mottingham. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Common questions in Mottingham
Is my home in Mottingham listed or in a conservation area?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Mottingham?
Typically it is manageable with a little notice. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we’ll work around them.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
What if it rains on the day?
A survey can normally go ahead in light rain. High wind or heavy rain can stop drone flights and make roof access unsafe, so if conditions are not right we’ll arrange another day with you.
What should I do with a chimney I do not use?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it is capped and its condition, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
How do I book a survey in Mottingham?
It is easiest to call 07833 053749 or email us. Tell us the address and a little about the roof, and we’ll take it from there. We survey on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
What does a roof survey cost?
Our price is from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose.
How a chimney survey works in Mottingham
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it’s safe to reach. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. We survey single stacks on houses and groups of stacks on bigger buildings. We survey brick chimney stacks, flaunching and chimney pots and cowls, and common reasons people get in touch are lifted or split lead flashings and loose, cracked or missing pots.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. From the street you see only a parapet wall, so blocked outlets and split linings go unnoticed until water comes through a ceiling. For a house in Mottingham with this kind of roof, the hidden gutter is one of the first things to check.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Where
- Mottingham (SE9, SE12, BR1)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
- Make sure unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
If anything in the report is not clear, just ask us. The Standard Survey includes a follow-up consultation and the Premium Survey an in-person consultation.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
Different roofs, different checks
Flaunching
Cracked flaunching is one of the most common chimney defects we record. It’s normally a modest repair when it is caught early.
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Places near Mottingham
Also in Mottingham
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- Height and safe access
- Commercial roofs and larger buildings
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and the package you choose.
Helping us price your survey
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- What kind of property and roof it is
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
We confirm the price for the job before you book, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
When to book a survey in Mottingham
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which is one reason stacks start to lean.
A survey can pick up problems such as:
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
Take a building like Marvels Lane Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Questions to ask before booking
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- What follow-up you get after the report
What happens on the day
We’ll ask a few questions first, such as when any problem began and what work has been done before. The inspection then takes about 1–2 hours at most homes, and more on a big or complicated roof. London terraces rarely offer a view of the whole roof from one spot, so in Mottingham we work round the house, using the street, the windows, the loft and any safe vantage point behind it. Shared stairs or a basement flat? Let us know who holds the keys.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, 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 is safe access.
- The findings are written up with photos and recommendations and emailed to you.
Getting ready for the survey
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Keep pets in another room
Getting a price
A quick phone call is normally the easiest start: call 07833 053749 or send us an email, and we’ll ask about the building and what you need. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Related advice
Landlord and commercial surveys in Mottingham
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
What a chimney survey looks like in Mottingham
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 Mottingham is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Eltham Palace, about 1.1 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Mottingham. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
The streets around a church such as Jubilee International Church are frequently among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine. If you run a business near The Glades, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Mottingham is about 1 mile south-west of Eltham, in Greater London. Mottingham is one of many places we visit across Greater London. Mottingham is one of the places in Greater London where we work for chimney surveys. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
We cover every part of the SE9, SE12 and BR1 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Horley Road, Dorset Road and Albert Road. Close by, we survey roofs in Chinbrook (1 mile south-west), Grove Park (1 mile west), Coldharbour (1 mile east), Middle Park (1 mile north) and Horn Park (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover London (7 miles north-west), City of Westminster (10 miles north-west), Marylebone (10 miles north-west), Kensington (11 miles north-west), St Pancras (9 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-west).
Near you in Mottingham
In Mottingham, that means homes and buildings near Colfe's School, Chinbrook Meadows and Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy. For rail, the closest station is Grove Park station, about 0.7 miles west. A little further out are Greenwich Castle (3.5 miles north-west) and Prefab Museum (1.7 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Summer Hill and The Tarn.