East Sussex · London and the South East
Ratton Village Chimney Survey
Independent chimney surveys in Ratton Village. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- A stack that appears to lean
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
Questions from Ratton Village
Is my home in Ratton Village listed or in a conservation area?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Is Ratton Village within the area you cover?
Yes. Ratton Village is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and South East England. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
When does the report arrive?
That depends on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day. Reports are sent by email.
What happens after the survey?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. It’s yours to share with a seller, insurer, roofer or managing agent, whichever applies.
What do you check on a chimney?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft space where we can reach. You get a written report with photos.
What’s in the report?
Written findings with photos, explaining the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our recommendations. The Standard Survey adds moisture detection and a structural check, and the Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable and structural analysis.
How many surveys have you done?
We’ve been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
How a chimney survey works in Ratton Village
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space where it is safe. A drone inspection is part of our Premium Survey where it applies. 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 shared and party-wall stacks, brick chimney stacks and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are gaps where the stack meets the roof and gaps in the mortar around the pots.
Around Ratton Village, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. A report spots that kind of slow problem before it becomes damp inside. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
If any part of the chimney stack couldn’t be seen safely, we say so in the report. You’ll know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t, and what we’d suggest next.
- Where
- Ratton Village (BN20, BN21, BN22)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
There isn’t much for you to do on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we’ll take it from there. A typical survey takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house, and more on a big or complicated roof. For a survey in Ratton Village, we agree the time, the access and parking before the day. Weekday and weekend visits are both possible. If there are outbuildings or garages you want looked at, mention them.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- The stacks are looked at from the ground, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Find any records of previous roof work
- If it isn’t your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
Arrange a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To find a date that works for you, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Advice
Chimney surveys in Ratton Village: local notes
Ratton Village is within about 3 miles of the coast, and places near the sea get more salt in the air and more wind than inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, while driving rain finds any gap. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. Some old buildings in Sussex have Horsham stone slab roofs, and oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of East Sussex’s older buildings. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Living close to Gildrege Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn. Take an older house close to The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Ratton Village is about 2 miles west of Eastbourne, in East Sussex. We provide chimney surveys for householders, landlords and businesses in Ratton Village and nearby. Ratton Village is one of the towns and villages in East Sussex where we work for chimney surveys. You can also see our page for Brighton.
Here we cover the BN20, BN21 and BN22 postcode area for chimney surveys. You will find streets such as Park Lane, Butts Lane and Ruskin Road, all of which we cover. You’ll find Ratton Village on the A2270, so it’s easy for us to get to. Other places close to Ratton Village include Hampden Park (1 mile east), Old Town (1 mile south), Eastbourne (2 miles east), Upperton (2 miles south-east) and Jevington (2 miles west). Further out, we also cover Hastings (14 miles east), Bexhill-on-Sea (10 miles north-east), Seaford (6 miles west), Lewes (12 miles north-west), Hailsham (5 miles north) and St Leonards (14 miles east).
Landmarks near Ratton Village
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to The Red Lion pub, Gildrege Park and Ratton School, among other places. The closest station to Ratton Village is Hampden Park station, about 1.2 miles east. Nearby you will also find Filching Manor And Motor Museum (1.6 miles north-west) and Eastbourne District General Hospital (0.7 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Combe Hill.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, putting the urgent items at the top.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Do you need a chimney survey in Ratton Village?
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Flue gases and damp can break down the mortar, sometimes more on one side than the other, which can make a stack lean.
Look out for signs like these:
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- A chimney out of line
Landlords with a home close to Hampden Park station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- How soon the report will arrive
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Whether the loft space is looked at, where there is one
- Whether VAT is added on top
Prices for chimney surveys in Ratton Village
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- House, block, shop or office
- How big the roof is
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What we need to know
We’ll usually ask about:
- Access details, such as a loft hatch or a shared roof
- The address and postcode of the property
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
If you are buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you are ready.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
We only report whatever is safely visible on the day, so there are some things a survey cannot cover:
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
- Conditions inside walls
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before booking. What our survey covers.
What we look at
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Nearby places to Ratton Village
More services for Ratton Village
Should I look at the roof myself first?
Keep a simple record: dates of leaks, photos from the ground and any work done on the roof. Send it with your enquiry.
You can learn a lot from ground level. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Never climb onto the roof to look.