Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Ratling, Kent
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Ratling, using drones and thermal imaging where it applies. Get in touch for a price.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- A chimney out of line
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit typically takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Somewhere like Ratling needs a little journey planning: tell us about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect everything that’s safely in view, inside and out.
- 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 be seen safely.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Getting ready for the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with whoever owns or manages the building
Booking a survey
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email to find out.
Related advice
Chimney survey in Ratling
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. If you are worried about lifted or split lead flashings and a stack that appears to lean, we can find out what’s behind it, on brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney breasts alike.
Village roofs often 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 roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
Nothing in the report is left vague: where something needs attention, it says so plainly, along with how urgent it is.
- Where
- Ratling (CT3)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Why act early in Ratling
If you’re buying, find out about the stacks before you exchange. After that, any work is yours to arrange and pay for. A report gives you something specific to put to the seller. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Ratling, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- 98% of customers satisfied
- Visits on any day of the week
- An independent look at the roof
- Package prices that include VAT
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Ratling questions
How do I find out if my home in Ratling is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it is 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.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Adisham station?
Of course. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. Our survey records its condition and how it is capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Does this replace a RICS home survey?
No. Our survey looks at the roof, not the whole building. If you need a full building survey, you will need a RICS survey as well.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Our surveys are covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. If you need details for a managing agent or a building owner, just ask.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all inc. VAT.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes, if the freeholder or managing agent agrees access. We look at the parts we’re given access to.
What else we do in Ratling
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Ratling
About 1 mile north-east lies Goodnestone Park, a reminder of how long the area around Ratling has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area. Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Take a building like St Joseph's Catholic Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. For an older house near a landmark such as St Peter, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Ratling is about 6 miles south-east of Canterbury, in Kent. Surveys in Ratling work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful look at what can be seen safely, photos and a clear written report. Across Kent, we cover Ratling. There is also a page for Canterbury.
Chimney surveys in CT3 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Close by, we survey roofs in Nonington (1 mile south-east), Snowdown (1 mile south), Goodnestone (1 mile north-east), Chillenden (2 miles east) and Woolage Village (2 miles south). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (6 miles north-west), Margate (13 miles north-east), Dover (8 miles south-east), Folkestone (11 miles south), Ramsgate (11 miles north-east) and Broadstairs (13 miles north-east).
Near you in Ratling
Ratling’s nearest station is Adisham station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find St Martins Hospital (5.2 miles north-west).
Do you need a chimney survey in Ratling?
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. People normally call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
Here are some of the things we see often:
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
For landlords with property near Adisham station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What follow-up you get after the report
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- How soon the report will arrive
Prices for chimney surveys in Ratling
All our prices include VAT. What changes the price is:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- The roof’s overall size
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Packages run from Basic at £150 through Standard at £250 to Premium at £400, inc. VAT, and we can help you choose.
Booking your survey
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It helps to include:
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- Pictures of the roof from a safe spot, if you have them
- The address and postcode of the property
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just call 07833 053749 or send us an email when you’re ready.
What this survey can’t tell you
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. What a survey covers and does not.
Roofs we survey in Ratling
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Flaunching
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
Tips from our surveys
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Remove aerials or dishes from the stack if they’re no longer needed
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Never climb onto the roof to look at a chimney
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.