Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Romford, Greater London
Chimney surveys across Romford, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photographs.
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Bricks with flaking faces
How a chimney survey works in Romford
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photos and what we recommend. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and chimney breasts, and the problems we are asked to look at most are disused chimneys trapping moisture and spalled or crumbling bricks.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, often with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. Homes in Romford are no exception. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a proper look too.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, sent by email. It explains the condition of the chimney stack, the defects we found and what we recommend.
- Where
- Romford (RM1, RM7, RM11, RM2)
- Region
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
Before booking, it’s worth knowing what a survey won’t do:
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Hidden damage within the stack
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Nearby places to Romford
What else we do in Romford
What a chimney survey looks like in Romford
About 1.4 miles north-east lies Hare Hall, a reminder of how long the area around Romford has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, frequently with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. On a semi of that age, the small roofs over the bays, the hip tiles and any later dormer each need their own look. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near The Brewery, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions. For landlords with property near Romford station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
Romford is about 12 miles west of Basildon, in Greater London. Wherever you are in Romford, we can carry out chimney surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. There is also a page for London.
Surveys in RM1, RM7, RM11 and RM2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on High Street, Market Place and Market Link and the roads around them. Being close to the A1251, Romford is easy for us to reach. If you are just outside Romford, we cover Rush Green (1 mile south-west), Collier Row (1 mile north), Rise Park (1 mile north), Becontree Heath (1 mile south-west) and Chadwell Heath (2 miles west). Larger places within reach include London (13 miles south-west), City of Westminster (15 miles west), Marylebone (15 miles west), St Pancras (13 miles west), Shoreditch (12 miles west) and Walthamstow (9 miles west).
Local landmarks in Romford
We work in homes and buildings around Lodge Farm Park, Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls and The Moon & Stars pub, among other places. Romford has its own railway station: Romford station. Other landmarks nearby include The Brewery (under half a mile south-west) and Oldchurch Hospital (under half a mile south). For a walk, there is The Chase Nature Reserve.
FAQs for Romford
I let a flat near Romford station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Romford?
It rarely stops a survey, but it is worth planning. Let us know the parking rules on your street and we will work around them.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so we need permission from the freeholder or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
How much does a chimney survey cost in Romford?
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final figure depends on the roof and the package you choose, and it’s agreed before booking.
What’s in the report?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos. The most urgent items are made clear.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We check the structure and weathering of the stack and any damp, and we will say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Do you take photos of the roof?
Yes. Photographs are taken throughout the survey, and they go into the written report.
Signs you need a chimney survey in Romford
A stack takes the weather from every direction. Frost works into cracks in the flaunching and pointing, and rain soaks into worn brickwork. Most people book after spotting damp or a loose pot, or before buying.
These are some of the problems a survey can pick up:
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- A stack that appears to lean
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor, the nails, lead and mortar on the roof may be wearing out even where the slates or tiles look fine.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- How much experience they have with roofs like yours
- If they fly a drone, whether they hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- Which limits apply to the survey
How the survey works
After the inspection, everything we found is written up as a photo-illustrated written report. On timing, it normally takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. For a visit in Romford, parking and access are the things to plan: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at what can be seen safely from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it is safe, the roof itself.
- 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.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we are looking at
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Jot down any questions you want answered
Booking a survey
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 use the contact form when you are ready.
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Leave it or get it looked at?
Damp in a chimney breast usually gets worse while the cause is left. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Finding the cause means the right work can be planned. Any roof job in Romford means planning around parking, neighbours and access. That is a good reason to find problems early, while there is time to plan, rather than in a rush after a leak.
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the report isn’t charged as an extra. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Size, height and access decide where your roof falls.
What you get with us
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- Independent findings on the roof’s condition
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
- Surveys seven days a week
See what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.
What a survey costs
The price reflects the time and kit the roof needs. That comes down to:
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- How big the roof is
- Basic, Standard or Premium
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
What to tell us when you get in touch
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- Your timetable, such as an exchange date
- The property’s address and postcode
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
Every survey is priced before it’s booked, so you know where you stand. Our price is from £150, including VAT. For a price for your roof, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Practical tips
Small things make a difference. Our tips:
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on, as far as we could see.
Unused stacks should be capped in a way that still lets air through. That helps stop damp building up inside.