Medway · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Rochester Riverside, Medway
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Rochester Riverside. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
Chimney survey in Rochester Riverside: what you get
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you are worried about a stack that appears to lean and disused chimneys trapping moisture, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on chimney breasts, flaunching and shared and party-wall stacks alike.
Trees around homes in smaller places like Rochester Riverside drop leaves, twigs and moss onto roofs and into gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls, and moss holds water against tiles. It’s the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from the ground.
The report does not just list problems. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Place
- Rochester Riverside (ME1, ME2, ME3)
- Region
- Medway
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for Rochester Riverside property owners
Most of what helps is simple and safe from ground level. Our suggestions:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What happens if roof problems are left?
Most people never get a close look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there is a stain. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. With lower homes, common in places like Rochester Riverside, there’s little between a roof defect and the ceiling, so water can show inside quickly once it gets past the covering. Finding the cause first saves a second job inside.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on how big and how high the roof is, access and the package you choose.
Why book with us
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
- 98% customer satisfaction
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- PI and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide or our case studies.
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget.
Landlords, agents and building managers in Rochester Riverside and across Medway can book any of our surveys. To discuss a property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What we do, step by step
Where it is relevant and can be reached safely, the roof space is checked as well as the outside. In the loft, the signs we look for are staining, damp, daylight and sagging, as far as the space allows. The whole visit normally takes an hour or two for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Some parts of a survey depend on the weather, so a visit to Rochester Riverside is booked with the forecast in mind: drone flights and thermal imaging need the right conditions, while a look from ground level and the loft can go ahead in most weather.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- 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.
Getting ready for the survey
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
Arrange a survey
If you are buying, it is useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email when you are ready.
Advice
Local roofs in Rochester Riverside
Rochester Riverside 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. The wider area around Rochester Riverside has a long history of building, with Restoration House about 0.3 miles south-west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters.
For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Nicholas, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you own a rental within reach of Rochester station, knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints.
Rochester Riverside is about 1 mile east of Rochester, in Medway. We carry out chimney surveys in Rochester Riverside for houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings, with a written report and photographs every time. We cover towns and villages across Medway. You can also see our page for Maidstone.
Here we cover the ME1, ME2 and ME3 postcode area for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Crow Lane, Love Lane and Corys Road, and we cover them all. Close by, we survey roofs in Frindsbury (1 mile north), Chatham Waterfront (1 mile south-east), Brompton (1 mile east), Luton (2 miles south-east) and Chatham (3 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Gillingham (3 miles south-east), Rainham (5 miles south-east), Park Wood (5 miles south-east), Lordswood (4 miles south-east), Twydall (4 miles east) and Hoo St Werburgh (3 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Rochester Riverside
Around Rochester Riverside, our work takes us to homes and buildings near St Michael the Archangel Church, Former Ordnance Store At Chatham Gun Wharf and St John Fisher RC Comprehensive School. Also close by are Fort Pitt Grammar School (0.7 miles south-east), The Eagle Tavern (under half a mile south-west) and The Paddock (0.8 miles south-east). Rochester Riverside has its own railway station: Rochester station. Other landmarks nearby include Huguenot Museum (under half a mile west) and French Hospital (less than half a mile south-west). Open spaces near Rochester Riverside include Gad's Hill and Rede Common.
Places near Rochester Riverside
What else we do in Rochester Riverside
Common roof problems in Rochester Riverside
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. When flashings fail, water frequently shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Common reasons to book include:
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flaunching that has broken away
If you run a business near Pentagon Shopping Centre, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks.
Before you book anyone
- What they will not be able to tell you
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Will the report include photos?
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Many older stacks were built with lime mortar. We note where repairs should match the original mortar.
Chimney pots and cowls
Pots sit in the flaunching on top of the stack, and cowls or caps sit on the pots. The survey looks for cracked, loose or missing pots and cowls.
FAQs for Rochester Riverside
Do roofs near the sea, like those around Rochester Riverside, take more of a battering?
Generally, yes: wind and salt air take more of a toll near the sea. Ridges, verges, flashings and fixings are where it usually shows.
I let a flat near Rochester station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and tell us about the building.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
What’s in the report?
Written findings with photos, covering the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend, in order of urgency where relevant. Standard adds moisture detection and a structural check; Premium adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies and structural analysis.
What do I do with the report?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Do I need to be at home?
Not necessarily. If we only need the outside, we can agree that beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Is Rochester Riverside in your area?
Yes. Our area covers London and South East England, and that includes Rochester Riverside.