West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Portslade
Wondering about the chimney stack at a property in Portslade? You can book a chimney survey in Portslade and across West Sussex.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
How a chimney survey works in Portslade
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. Even when it is not used, a stack has to stay weathertight. If it has been capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside it. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed spalled or crumbling bricks and worn or missing pointing, we can find out what’s behind it.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Portslade drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Blocked gutters overflow and soak the walls below. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Plants growing from a gutter or moss on the tiles are signs worth noting from the ground.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Location
- Portslade (BN41, BN3, BN42)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
DIY checks: what’s safe
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
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. Do not go up yourself.
How we price chimney surveys
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- How big the roof is
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and the package you choose.
Getting in touch
What helps most when you contact us:
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- What made you get in touch
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Local roofs in Portslade
Portslade is within about 1 mile of the coast, where sea air brings more salt and stronger wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Historic houses like Portslade Manor, about 0.1 miles south-west, show how far back building around Portslade goes. Older roofs nearby frequently mix original materials with later repairs, and the survey shows where each one is. If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Churchill Square, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. Homes near green spaces such as Benfield Hill can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Portslade is about 1 mile west of Brighton and Hove, in West Sussex. We survey roofs in Portslade as part of our work across London and South East England. Across West Sussex, we cover Portslade and the places around it.
Every address in BN41, BN3 and BN42 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include Mill Lane, Crown Road and Drove Road, and we cover them all. You’ll find Portslade on the A293, which makes it straightforward to reach. Close by, we survey roofs in Hangleton (1 mile north-east), Southwick (1 mile south-west), Kingston by Sea (1 mile west), Shoreham-by-Sea (2 miles west) and Old Shoreham (3 miles west). Larger places within reach include Worthing (8 miles west), Haywards Heath (12 miles north-east), Burgess Hill (9 miles north-east), Littlehampton (14 miles west), Lancing (5 miles west) and Rustington (13 miles west).
Local landmarks in Portslade
Typical jobs here are in homes near King's School, Benfield Hill and The Mill House and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Fishersgate station, roughly 0.7 miles south of the centre. A little further out are British Engineerium (1.8 miles east) and Southlands Hospital (1.8 miles west). The countryside around Portslade includes Shoreham Beach and Thundersbarrow Hill.
Different roofs, different checks
Brick stacks
Older brick stacks frequently have soft lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Flaunching
The sloping mortar around the pots is called flaunching. Once it cracks, water can get straight into the brickwork.
Tips that help
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Make sure redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.
What happens on the day
Every visit follows the same pattern: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. A visit to a smaller place like Portslade is no different on the day: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- You let us know how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach them.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Tell us where we can park nearby
Getting a price
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.
Related advice
What we cannot see
A survey is a careful look at the chimney stack, but it can’t do everything. The main limits are:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Conditions inside walls
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
Nearby places to Portslade
What else we do in Portslade
FAQs for Portslade
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Portslade?
We cannot confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material, and councils can also use Article 4 directions.
Do you cover smaller places like Portslade?
Yes, Portslade is covered. We work right across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it is useful to know about access.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: from the ground, windows and vantage points, and from the loft where there’s access. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. If part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We check the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it and you can raise it with them.
How experienced are you?
We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys, over more than 20 years, and 98% of clients are satisfied.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. A flue inspection, sweep or gas safety check is a separate job. We look at the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.