Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Petts Wood, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Petts Wood, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Worn or missing pointing
- A stack that appears to lean
Chimney survey in Petts Wood
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where applicable. If we can’t see part of the stack, the report makes that clear. Every defect we find is photographed and described in plain words. We survey lead flashings, brick chimney stacks and shared and party-wall stacks, and common reasons people get in touch are signs that a stack is leaning and redundant stacks capped without ventilation.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. Hidden behind the parapet, that gutter can block or split without anyone seeing it. If your home in Petts Wood has one, it needs checking from somewhere that can actually see it.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Petts Wood (BR5, BR6, BR2)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
Before we start, tell us why you’ve booked: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit typically takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. From the street, a London terrace normally shows only its front slope or parapet, so in Petts Wood 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.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before we arrive
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Arrange a survey
Not sure which survey you need? It is easiest to phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
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Towns and villages near Petts Wood
Also in Petts Wood
For landlords and managing agents
Landlords, agents and building managers in Petts Wood and across Greater London can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we will plan the survey around it.
Petts Wood questions
Is parking a problem for a survey in Petts Wood?
It depends on the street. Where there are permit zones, a visitor permit or nearby pay-and-display bay works well.
I let a flat near Petts Wood station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and a few details, including who will give access on the day.
Should I worry about a leaning stack?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photographs, and a structural engineer can assess whether it needs work.
What if it rains on the day?
It depends on the weather and the survey. Strong wind or heavy rain can make access unsafe and ground a drone, so we’d move the date with you.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. We point out what can be seen, such as sagging or deflection, but we do not carry out calculations or give an engineer’s opinion. Where an engineer is needed, we say so in the report.
How soon will I get the report?
Report times are set by the package. Basic is within 48 hours, Standard is 24–48 hours and Premium is the same day. If you have a deadline, such as an exchange date, tell us as you book.
What’s in the report?
It sets out what we found, why it matters and what we recommend, backed by photos. It also says if any part of the roof couldn’t be seen safely.
Chimney surveys around Petts Wood
With Bromley Palace about 2.6 miles north-west, Petts Wood sits in an area with a long building history. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
Take a building like Crofton Junior School: large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For an older house near a landmark such as St Francis Church, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Petts Wood is about 1 mile west of Orpington, in Greater London. Roofs in Petts Wood get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. Petts Wood is one of the places in Greater London where we work for chimney surveys. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Here we cover the BR5, BR6 and BR2 postcode area for chimney surveys. We cover properties on Tent Peg Lane, Ryecroft Road and Beaumont Road and the roads around them. We also cover Crofton (1 mile south), Broom Hill (1 mile south-east), Southborough (1 mile west), Locksbottom (1 mile south-west) and Bromley Common (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns such as London (11 miles north-west), City of Westminster (13 miles north-west), Marylebone (13 miles north-west), Kensington (14 miles north-west), St Pancras (13 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (12 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Petts Wood
We work in homes and buildings around Jubilee Country Park, Bromley High School and Daylight Inn and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Petts Wood itself: Petts Wood station. A little further out are Bridgeways Day Hospital (1.5 miles west) and Crofton Roman Villa (1.2 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include The Warren and Summer Hill.
Honest limits
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey will not do:
- Flue inspections or sweeping
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If in doubt, call 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll recommend the right survey. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
DIY checks: what’s safe
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- House, block, shop or office
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
What to let us know when you get in touch
We’ll typically ask about:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Any deadline, such as an exchange date
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
Booking is simple: just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form, tell us about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
When to book a survey in Petts Wood
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. When flashings fail, water frequently shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Bricks with flaking faces
If you run a business near The Mall, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
What to check before booking
- Their drone registration, if they fly one
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- What the survey will not cover
- Will the report include photos?