Greater London · London and the South East
Northolt Chimney Survey
Know where you stand with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. Chimney surveys in Northolt.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
Chimney survey in Northolt
Redundant chimneys are common, particularly where fires have been replaced by central heating. A disused stack still needs looking after. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. Our survey looks at how each unused stack has been capped and checks the breasts for damp. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. We survey lead flashings, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are damp on a chimney breast inside and cracked or missing flaunching.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is usually a shared part of the building. Landlords, managing agents and residents’ companies need to know what condition it’s in and what work is coming up, in Northolt as anywhere. A defect on a shared roof can reach more than one flat. With a written report and photographs, everyone can plan from the same facts.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Northolt (UB5, UB6)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need a chimney survey in Northolt?
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are often fixed to chimneys. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
Homes near green spaces like Northala Fields can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- What insurance they carry
- What experience they bring
- When you will get the report
Roof by roof
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Useful tips for Northolt property owners
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Tips:
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
After the visit, we write up the report with photos of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.
What we cannot see
We only report everything that’s safely in view on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Hidden damage within the stack
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Common questions in Northolt
Is my home in Northolt listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Can a landlord with a rental near Northolt Park station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. Just ring 07833 053749 or email us and let us know about the building.
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.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We look at the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside and flag anything that suggests the flue needs a look.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so whoever owns or manages the building needs to agree access. We can only inspect what we’re given access to.
Does the report include photographs?
Yes. We photograph the roof as we go, and they go into the written report.
Can you survey in bad weather?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drones cannot fly safely in high wind or heavy rain, and thermal imaging works best with a dry roof, little wind and a sunny day beforehand. We’ll rearrange with you if the weather isn’t right.
Why it is worth a survey now in Northolt
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. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left alone, that means wet timbers and plaster, which is a far bigger job than the roof fault itself.
Every price we give includes VAT. Our price is from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
Why book with us
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- Thermal imaging and drones used where they help
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- An independent look at the roof
See our cost guide and our case studies.
Nearby places to Northolt
More services for Northolt
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Northolt
Outer London has a good many Victorian and Edwardian terraces with slate roofs, but also a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles. If your home in Northolt is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. About 0.3 miles south lies Northolt Manor, a reminder of how long the area around Northolt has been built on. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
For an older house near a landmark like St Richard's Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. For landlords with property near Northolt Park station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Northolt is about 2 miles south-west of Harrow, in Greater London. In Northolt, as across Greater London, every roof gets the same careful survey. Northolt is one of the places in Greater London where we work for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
We cover every part of UB5 and UB6 for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Church Road, Eastcote Lane North and Tenby Gardens or a nearby road, we can survey it. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in South Ruislip (1 mile north-west), Greenford (1 mile south-east), South Harrow (1 mile north-east), Yeading (2 miles south-west) and Yiewsley (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover London (12 miles east), City of Westminster (10 miles east), Marylebone (10 miles east), Kensington (8 miles south-east), St Pancras (11 miles east) and Shoreditch (13 miles east).
Local landmarks in Northolt
Around Northolt, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Northala Fields, The Greenwood Public House and Northolt High School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Northolt Park station, about 0.7 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include Heath Robinson Museum (3.1 miles north) and Clementine Churchill Hospital (2 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Islip Manor Meadows and Northala Fields.
How the survey works
We photograph the roof as we go, so the report shows exactly what we saw. Close-ups come from the safest viewpoint available. A typical visit takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In Northolt, as in much of London, lots of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so rear slopes are viewed from windows, the loft or, where a flight is allowed, by drone. If the building has a managing agent or access rules, tell us as you book.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Keep pets in another room
Getting a price
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and the days you’d prefer.