Milton Keynes · London and the South East
Olney Chimney Survey
Need a chimney survey in Olney? We can help, with a written report you can act on. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
Chimney survey in Olney: what you get
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we frequently find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We survey chimney pots and cowls, shared and party-wall stacks and flaunching, and people most often book us about damp patches on chimney breasts and gaps where the stack meets the roof.
In a smaller place like Olney, homes range from older cottages to bungalows and newer houses. Older roofs can have slate, clay tiles or other traditional coverings, while many later ones have concrete tiles. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are typically where the work is, and the fixings under the coverings matter too. Nails and battens under older coverings often give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
It is not only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Place
- Olney (MK46)
- Region
- Milton Keynes
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Brick stacks
Older brick stacks often have soft lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Olney
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps with budgets and planning.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed ahead of time. Surveys run on any day of the week, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Check unused flues are capped with ventilation
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on, as far as we could see.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. It’s far simpler than rebuilding a stack later.
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, for these reasons:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Roof area
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
What we need to know
When you call or email, these details help:
- Anything about access we should know
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- The kind of building and roof involved
- When you need the report by
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form whenever suits you.
How the survey works
We check the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the roof space too. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging. The whole visit usually takes roughly 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. With a bit of garden around a house, as there often is around Olney, the roof can be viewed from several angles. Mention any side of the property we cannot get to. The loft, where there’s safe access, completes the picture.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
Getting a price
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know where you stand. Prices start from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Also in Olney
What happens if roof problems are left?
If you are buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. Our report gives you facts to raise with the seller or agent. In an older home around Olney, water from a roof defect can get into timber and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
Price depends partly on the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all including VAT. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Why book us in Olney
- Clear package prices, inc. VAT
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
Chimney surveys in Olney: local notes
Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Turvey Abbey, about 3.7 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Olney. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years.
If you look after a building like Olney Middle School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of Saints Peter and Paul, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Olney is about 9 miles north of Milton Keynes, in Milton Keynes. We carry out chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Olney. Our area takes in places right across Milton Keynes, large and small. For surveys nearby, see our Milton Keynes page.
All of MK46 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover properties on High Street, Market Place and High Street South and the roads around them. Olney sits on or near the A509 and B565, which makes travel easy. Close by, we survey roofs in Emberton (1 mile south), Weston Underwood (1 mile south-west), Ravenstone (2 miles west), Sherington (3 miles south) and Tyringham (3 miles south-west). We also work in nearby towns like Milton Keynes (9 miles south), Bletchley (11 miles south), Newport Pagnell (5 miles south), Bletchley and Fenny Stratford (11 miles south), Furzton (11 miles south) and Whitehouse (10 miles south-west). Being one of Milton Keynes’s larger places, Olney has homes, rented property and businesses of every kind.
What’s near Olney
Typical jobs here are in homes near Two Brewers Public House and the streets around them. Well-known places in the area include Lavendon (2.2 miles north-east).
Olney questions
How do I find out if my home in Olney is listed?
Your council is the best source, with Historic England’s list for listed buildings. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Is Olney within the area you cover?
Yes. Olney is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We cover the whole of London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when booking.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found, so you can see exactly what each finding refers to.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. Drone inspection is part of the Drone Roof Survey and the Premium Survey, where applicable.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once whoever controls the roof agrees access. On a shared roof we can only inspect the parts we are allowed to reach, and the report makes that clear.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
It depends on its condition and your plans. The survey shows its condition and how it’s been capped. If you are thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
What do I do with the report?
You receive the written report by email, with photos and recommendations. It is yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.