Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Shooter's Hill
Need a chimney survey in Shooter's Hill? We can help, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Book a weekday or weekend visit.
- Bricks with flaking faces
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
Chimney survey in Shooter's Hill: what you get
For buyers, a chimney survey before exchange can flag work you may want to raise. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. If you’ve noticed damaged chimney pots and cowls and signs that a stack is leaning, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is normally a shared part of the building. Landlords, managing agents and residents’ companies need to know what condition it is in and what work is coming up, in Shooter's Hill as anywhere. A defect on a shared roof can reach more than one flat. A report gives everyone the same picture to plan from, with photos.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible.
- Place
- Shooter's Hill (SE18, SE9, DA16)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before you book. These are the things that affect it:
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- How big the roof is
- House, block, shop or office
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
Every price we give includes VAT. Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. We confirm the price for the job before booking.
What to tell us when you contact us
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Dates you are working to, such as exchange
- The reason for the survey, like buying, a leak or storm damage
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and the days you’d prefer.
FAQs for Shooter's Hill
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Shooter's Hill?
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.
Will parking be an issue for a roof survey in Shooter's Hill?
It can be, so it’s useful to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space as you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast usually means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. We also note leaning, redundant stacks and damp inside.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Do you use drones?
Where it is applicable and safe, yes. We are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where applicable, the Premium Survey.
Does the weather affect the survey?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In strong wind or heavy rain, a drone cannot fly and access may not be safe, so we’d move the date with you.
Roof by roof
Flaunching
Flaunching takes the worst of the weather. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Chimney pots and cowls
A loose or cracked pot can fall from height. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Nearby places to Shooter's Hill
More services for Shooter's Hill
What a chimney survey looks like in Shooter's Hill
Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. If your home in Shooter's Hill is one of them, bay roofs, hips and later dormers each have their own details. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. With Eltham Palace about 1.7 miles south-west, Shooter's Hill sits in an area with a long building history. 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.
Take a building like Shooters Hill Sixth Form College: its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale. Take an older house close to Christ Church: its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Living close to Eaglesfield Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Shooter's Hill is about 1 mile south-west of Plumstead, in Greater London. Roofs in Shooter's Hill get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. Shooter's Hill is one of the towns and villages in Greater London where we work. We also survey roofs in London.
All of SE18, SE9 and DA16 is covered for chimney surveys. Streets in the area include Brent Road, Dover Road and Kinlet Road, and we cover them all. We also cover Kidbrooke (1 mile west), Well Hall (1 mile south-west), East Wickham (1 mile east), Avery Hill (1 mile south) and Plumstead (1 mile north-east). Larger places within reach include London (7 miles west), City of Westminster (10 miles west), Marylebone (10 miles west), Kensington (12 miles west), St Pancras (9 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (7 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Shooter's Hill
Around Shooter's Hill, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Bull Public House, Eaglesfield Park and Deansfield Primary School, among other places. The closest station to Shooter's Hill is Falconwood station, roughly 0.9 miles south-east of the centre. A little further out are Gallions Reach Shopping Park (2.9 miles north) and Greenwich Castle (3 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Summer Hill and Birdbrook Road Nature Reserve.
How the survey works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit usually takes an hour or two at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is frequently on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it’s useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Preparing for the visit
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Book 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. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.
Read more
Landlord and commercial surveys in Shooter's Hill
An agent can book and manage the survey for a landlord, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant beforehand.
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer, and they’re priced for the size.
Why it is worth a survey now in Shooter's Hill
Loose pots and bricks on a stack are a safety concern. A survey picks them out so they can be made safe by a suitable contractor. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left alone, that means wet timbers and plaster, which is a far bigger job than the roof fault itself.
Thermal imaging and drone inspection (where it applies) come with the Premium Survey, from £400 including VAT. We can help you choose the package that fits what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
- An independent look at the roof
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- 20+ years’ experience
Read our cost guide and our case studies.
What you can safely check yourself
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.