Brighton and Hove · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Ovingdean, Brighton and Hove
Chimney surveys across Ovingdean, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Worn or missing pointing
- A chimney out of line
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
What happens on the day
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 roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Older rural homes like those around Ovingdean can have a main roof, lower lean-to roofs and outbuildings all joined together. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- You get a report with photos and our recommendations.
Before we arrive
- For flats, check roof access has been agreed
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
Getting a price
To book a survey, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. You’ll know the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
About our chimney survey in Ovingdean
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations. We are frequently asked to look into unused flues sealed without airflow and damp on a chimney breast inside, across flaunching, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls.
Some older homes in villages like Ovingdean are listed or in a conservation area. If yours is, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so the council is the place to check. Knowing the roof’s condition helps you plan ahead with that in mind. Older materials like clay tiles, slate and stone are often matched when work is done.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Place
- Ovingdean (BN2)
- Wider area
- Brighton and Hove
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What we can’t see
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What this survey covers
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
Ovingdean homes and their roofs
The coast is about 1 mile or less from Ovingdean, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Near the sea, metal fixings wear faster and loose pieces on a roof are more likely to lift, while driving rain finds any gap. About 2.8 miles west lies Royal Pavilion, a reminder of how long the area around Ovingdean has been built on. 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.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Churchill Square, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. If you own a rental within reach of Moulsecoomb station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Ovingdean Hall School, a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Ovingdean is about 3 miles south-east of Hanover, in Brighton and Hove. We visit Ovingdean as part of our work across Brighton and Hove, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Ovingdean is one of the towns and villages in Brighton and Hove where we work for chimney surveys.
Surveys in BN2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Longhill Road, Ovingdean Road and Wanderdown Road and the roads around them. We also cover Rottingdean (1 mile east), Roedean (1 mile west), Saltdean (2 miles south-east), East Saltdean (2 miles south-east) and Telscombe (3 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Brighton (3 miles north-west), Brighton and Hove (5 miles west), Hove (4 miles west), Carlton Hill (3 miles west), Hanover (3 miles north-west) and West Hill (3 miles west).
Near you in Ovingdean
Typical jobs here are in homes near Beacon Hill, Our Lady of Lourdes RC School and Duck Inn, among other places. The nearest railway station is Moulsecoomb station, about 3 miles north-west of the centre. A little further out are Brighton Motor Museum (1.9 miles west) and French Convalescent Home (1.5 miles west). Open spaces near Ovingdean include Newmarket Hill and Beacon Hill Local Nature Reserve.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. We record what we see with photos.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
Where another specialist is needed, like a structural engineer or sweep, we explain why. That helps you brief them.
Check redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.
Questions from Ovingdean
Will you come out to Ovingdean?
Yes. Ovingdean is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We survey roofs across London and South East England. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Moulsecoomb station?
Yes, that’s a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof, so it sits alongside a building survey rather than replacing it.
Can you survey in bad weather?
It depends on the weather and the survey. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, and we’d agree another day.
What do you check on a chimney?
The survey covers the pots and cowls, the flaunching, the pointing, the bricks and the flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, once access has been agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from whoever owns or manages the building. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Do not ignore it. Stacks can lean when mortar on one side breaks down. The survey records what we can see, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it’s stable.
Places near Ovingdean
Also in Ovingdean
Why it’s worth a survey now in Ovingdean
A small amount of repointing or new flaunching is normally a modest job. Left for a few winters, frost and water can loosen pots and bricks and the job gets bigger. Older cottages and farmhouses around Ovingdean can have roof timbers that have been there a very long time, where water from a failed roof can cause rot if it is left.
Every price we give includes VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
Why book with us
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Packages from £150, inc. VAT
- Covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
Read what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Look up at the roof after a storm, from the ground: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Watch the gutters in a downpour, from a window or the ground. Overflowing water can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.