East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Shortgate
An experienced roof surveyor for chimney surveys in Shortgate. More than 20 years and over 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Worn or missing pointing
About our chimney survey in Shortgate
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. That lets water into the brickwork, which can show up as damp on a chimney breast or in the roof space. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. If you’ve noticed gaps in the mortar around the pots and signs that a stack is leaning, a survey will tell you what’s going on, on chimney breasts, lead flashings and brick chimney stacks alike.
Village roofs frequently face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
Pictures do a lot of the work in our reports, because a photo of a cracked flashing says more than a paragraph. If something couldn’t be seen safely, the report is clear about it.
- Where
- Shortgate (BN8)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions in Shortgate
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Uckfield station?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or email us with the address and a few details.
Will you come out to Shortgate?
Yes. Shortgate is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our area covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. It is not a flue, sweep or gas safety inspection. We look at the stack, pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings, and damp inside, and we’ll say if anything suggests the flue needs checking.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. Our survey records its condition and how it’s capped, so you can plan what to do with it.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Visible signs like deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. If one is needed, the report says so.
Will you go up on the roof?
Not unless it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where it applies, a drone, and anything out of sight is recorded in the report.
How many surveys have you done?
More than 5,000 surveys over 20+ years.
Towns and villages near Shortgate
Also in Shortgate
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
Damaged pots are a safety concern as well as a leak risk. We photograph each pot and note any damage.
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. We check the bricks for spalling and the joints for erosion.
Why get it checked now?
If you are thinking of removing or reducing a stack, it helps to know its condition first. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent and the council can advise. In a small place like Shortgate, homes can be exposed to wind and rain, which finds any gap, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
We offer three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why us?
- Satisfaction rate of 98%
- An independent look at the roof
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- A sub-250g drone, flown with a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID
Read our cost guide or two real surveys.
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
Many people use the report to get quotes for the work. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
For landlords and managing agents
A roof problem in a let property affects your tenants as well as the building. A survey helps you spot issues early and plan the work around your tenants.
Letting agents can arrange access with tenants, at a time agreed beforehand. We survey seven days a week, which can make access easier.
When to book a survey in Shortgate
TV aerials, satellite dishes and their brackets are frequently fixed to chimneys. The extra load in wind can work bricks and joints loose. We check fixings on the stack as part of the survey.
It is worth booking a survey if you’ve seen:
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Signs that a stack is leaning
For landlords with property near Uckfield station, a roof report between tenancies helps plan work before a small defect becomes a tenant’s leak.
Questions to ask before booking
- What insurance they carry
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What exactly goes into their report
- Their track record with similar roofs
Chimney surveys in Shortgate: local notes
The wider area around Shortgate has a long history of building, with Glyndebourne about 3.5 miles south-west. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Many older homes in Sussex have handmade clay tiles and tile-hung walls. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Shortgate is about 4 miles south of Uckfield, in East Sussex. We cover Shortgate and the rest of East Sussex, as part of our work across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
We work across the BN8 postcode area for chimney surveys and the streets around it. We also cover Halland (1 mile north-east), East Hoathly (2 miles east), Whitesmith (2 miles east), Chiddingly (3 miles east) and Framfield (4 miles north). We also work in nearby towns like Eastbourne (12 miles south-east), Seaford (10 miles south), Lewes (6 miles south-west), Hailsham (7 miles south-east), Crowborough (10 miles north) and Newhaven (9 miles south).
Around Shortgate
Shortgate’s nearest station is Uckfield station, about 3.9 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Uckfield Community Hospital (3.6 miles north) and Tickerage Castle (4.1 miles north). For a walk, there’s Cliffe Hill and Malling Down.
How the survey works
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe viewpoint, take photographs as we go and make notes for the report. Most visits take an hour or two on an ordinary house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. Around Shortgate, older homes can have small or awkward roof spaces, so it’s useful to know whether there’s a loft hatch and how easy it is to reach. Only areas that can be reached safely are inspected.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- The findings are written up with photographs and recommendations and emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- Check pets are kept safely away
Arrange a survey
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.