Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Rabbit's Cross, Kent
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching around Rabbit's Cross, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Cracked or missing flaunching
Rabbit's Cross questions
How do I find out if my home in Rabbit's Cross is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Will you come out to Rabbit's Cross?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest villages. Longer journeys are simply planned ahead of time.
How experienced are you?
We have more than 20 years’ experience and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
When does the report arrive?
It depends on the package: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it is disturbed.
What causes damp on a chimney breast?
It can come from several places: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
About our chimney survey in Rabbit's Cross
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. If you’ve noticed spalled or crumbling bricks and lifted or split lead flashings, a survey will tell you what’s going on.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Rabbit's Cross (ME17)
- Region
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey looks like in Rabbit's Cross
Across Kent, older roofs are frequently handmade clay or peg tiles, and tile-hanging on upper walls is a familiar sight. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. About 3.9 miles north lies Stoneacre, a reminder of how long the area around Rabbit's Cross has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
Rabbit's Cross is about 5 miles south of Maidstone, in Kent. Rabbit's Cross is one of many places we visit across Kent, for houses, flats and commercial buildings. Rabbit's Cross is one of the places in Kent we cover.
Surveys in ME17 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Close by, we survey roofs in Cross-at-Hand (1 mile south), Devil's Den (1 mile east), Underling Green (2 miles west), Farthing Green (2 miles east) and St Ann's Green (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Maidstone (5 miles north), Ashford (14 miles east), Sittingbourne (13 miles north-east), Royal Tunbridge Wells (13 miles west), Tonbridge (12 miles west) and Kings Hill (8 miles north-west).
Around Rabbit's Cross
The nearest railway station is Staplehurst station, roughly 1.8 miles south. Nearby you will also find South East Romany Museum (2.4 miles south-west) and Oakwood Hospital (5.7 miles north-west).
Honest limits
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, and that sets some limits:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will tell you before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Also near Rabbit's Cross
More services for Rabbit's Cross
Signs you need a chimney survey in Rabbit's Cross
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. People usually call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Most people get in touch when they’ve noticed one of these:
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Worn or missing pointing
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
For landlords with property near Staplehurst station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Before booking anyone
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Their track record with similar roofs
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
What we do, step by step
We work from the outside in: first the slopes, edges and gutters from every safe viewpoint, then the loft space where it can be reached. All told, expect between one and two hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. In a hamlet or village like Rabbit's Cross, a postcode does not always lead to the right gate, so a few directions are welcome. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before we arrive
- Have keys ready for side gates, garages or roof access doors
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
How to book
Booking is simple: just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email, tell us about the property and we will suggest the right survey. The price is agreed up front.
Related advice
Before and after the survey
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
Once we have been, the findings are written up with photos. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
Why it is worth a survey now in Rabbit's Cross
A leaning stack should be looked at sooner rather than later. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you know where you stand. For an older or listed building in a place like Rabbit's Cross, repairs may need matching materials and consent, so a defect found early gives time to plan the work properly.
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included, and we can help you choose.
Why us?
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
Read our cost guide or our case studies.
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, often with a cowl or cap on top. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.