East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Rye Harbour
Chimney surveys in Rye Harbour from an independent, experienced roof surveyor. Over 5,000 surveys and 20+ years behind us.
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Managing agents and residents’ management companies use roof surveys to plan maintenance. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Bigger roofs take more time.
How a chimney survey works in Rye Harbour
A leaning chimney stack is worth having looked at. A stack may lean because the mortar on one side has weakened, which can happen over many years of use. The survey notes how the stack looks, how far it seems to lean and the state of the bricks and joints. Where it may be a structural concern, we’ll recommend a structural engineer. We survey brick chimney stacks, chimney breasts and chimney pots and cowls, and people most often book us about damp on a chimney breast inside and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack.
Older buildings in small places like Rye Harbour may be listed or in a conservation area. That can affect what materials can be used when work is done, so check with the council before planning anything. A roof report helps you plan work with that in mind. Older materials such as clay tiles, slate and stone are frequently matched when work is done.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Location
- Rye Harbour (TN31)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Before and after the survey
You do not need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Ask about consent before removing a chimney on an older property
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
How the survey works
Once we have finished looking, we write up our findings as a report with photos, sent to you by email. On timing, most surveys take between one and two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. Cottages and farmhouses around Rye Harbour often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Getting ready for the survey
- Keep pets in another room
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
Arrange a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? The easiest way is to ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and describe the roof and what’s worrying you. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
When to book a survey in Rye Harbour
Aerials and dishes are often fixed to stacks. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. Any fixings on the stack are checked and recorded.
Typical things we are asked to look at include:
- A stack that appears to lean
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
Anyone responsible for a site like Rye College will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether you get a written report with photos
- Are they insured for the work?
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
When you need someone else
Our survey is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will tell you before you book. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
Chimney surveys in Rye Harbour: local notes
Rye Harbour lies within about 1 mile of the sea, so there’s more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt corrodes metal fixings and flashings, and wind lifts loose slates, tiles and ridge pieces, while driving rain finds any gap. Lamb House, about 1.4 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Rye Harbour. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
Landlords with a home close to Rye station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Homes near green spaces like Rye Harbour LNR can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Rye Harbour is about 10 miles north-east of Hastings, in East Sussex. Surveys in Rye Harbour work the same way as everywhere we cover: a careful inspection, photos and a written report. Our East Sussex coverage includes Rye Harbour. For surveys nearby, see our Maidstone page.
Chimney surveys in TN31 are booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes homes and businesses on Tram Road, Camber Road and Oyster Creek. Other places close to Rye Harbour include Rye (1 mile north-west), Camber (1 mile east), East Guldeford (1 mile north), Playden (2 miles north-west) and Houghton Green (2 miles north). Larger places within reach include Hastings (10 miles south-west), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles south-west), St Leonards (11 miles south-west), Hastings Old Town (9 miles south-west), Belmont (9 miles south-west) and Hollington (10 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Rye Harbour
Around Rye Harbour, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Inkerman Arms and Rye Harbour LNR and the streets around them. The closest station to Rye Harbour is Rye station, roughly 1.5 miles north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Rye Castle Museum (East Street) (1.3 miles north-west) and Camber Castle (1.2 miles west). Not far away are Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Rye Harbour
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a roofer. Outbuildings and barns around Rye Harbour are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. A quick look before winter can save a lot.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. The price is confirmed before booking.
Why us?
- A report with photos
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Package prices that include VAT
- Two decades and more of roof surveys
Take a look at what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
FAQs for Rye Harbour
Will you come out to Rye Harbour?
We do. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Rye Harbour?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Usually it is water getting in from outside, or condensation in a sealed stack. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
What does the report include?
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 applicable and structural analysis.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, once access has been agreed. The roof of a block or converted house is often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We can only inspect what we are given access to.
What should I do with a chimney I do not use?
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’s capped, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Do you inspect the flue?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. The flue should be checked by a sweep, or by a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances.