Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Shortlands, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Shortlands, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photos.
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
How it works
It’s useful to start with what’s prompted the survey: buying, a leak, storm damage, new work or just wanting to know where things stand. That way we can focus on what matters to you. Most visits take about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. For a visit in Shortlands, 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 everything that’s safely in view from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it is safe, the roof itself.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- Each stack is inspected from safe positions outside.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft space.
- The report, with photos and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
Booking a survey
If you are buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so there’s time to use the report before exchange. Otherwise, simply call 07833 053749 or send us an email whenever suits you.
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Chimney survey in Shortlands: what you get
A chimney survey looks at the stack and everything around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. Inside, we check chimney breasts and the stack in the loft where it is safe to reach. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. Typical surveys look at cracked or missing flaunching and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack, on shared and party-wall stacks, flaunching and brick chimney stacks.
A London butterfly roof slopes down to a central valley gutter that drains to the back of the house. From the street you see only a parapet wall, so blocked outlets and split linings go unnoticed until water comes through a ceiling. For a house in Shortlands with this kind of roof, the hidden gutter is one of the first things to check.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where applicable, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Shortlands (BR2, BR1, BR3)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
When to book a survey in Shortlands
Some owners book because a chimney breast has been removed below and they want to know about the stack above. We note what’s visible in the roof space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near The Mall, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- What happens after the report arrives
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- Their track record with similar roofs
Prices for chimney surveys in Shortlands
A few things affect what a survey costs:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
One thing that affects the price is the package: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 or Premium from £400, all with VAT included. The roof’s size, height and access matter as well.
Getting in touch
A little information up front helps. It is useful to include:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Whether there’s a loft hatch, a shared roof or tricky access
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. You’ll have a price before anything is arranged.
Places near Shortlands
What else we do in Shortlands
Checking the roof from the ground
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from ground level or a window. Water spilling over the edge can be a sign of a blockage or a gutter that has dropped.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What this survey cannot tell you
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Shortlands
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. Bay roofs, hip ridges and dormers from later loft conversions are the details that set these houses apart. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Bromley Palace, about 0.8 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Shortlands. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
If your home is one of the older ones in the streets near St Mark's Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Homes near green spaces like Church House Gardens can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
Shortlands is about 1 mile south-west of Bromley, in Greater London. Shortlands is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Our area takes in places right across Greater London. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
All of BR2, BR1 and BR3 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on Hayes Lane, Stone Road and Hayes Road or anywhere close by, we can help. If you are just outside Shortlands, we cover Eden Park (1 mile south-west), Hayes (2 miles south), Bromley Common (2 miles south-east), West Wickham (2 miles south-west) and Southborough (2 miles east). Larger places within reach include London (8 miles north-west), City of Westminster (10 miles north-west), Marylebone (11 miles north-west), Kensington (11 miles north-west), St Pancras (10 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north).
Around Shortlands
Around Shortlands, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Richmal Crompton pub, Church House Gardens and Langley Park School for Girls, among other places. The closest station to Shortlands is Shortlands station, about 0.5 miles north of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Bromley Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Bethlem Museum of the Mind (1.6 miles south-east). The countryside around Shortlands includes Summer Hill and Downham Woodland Walk.
Common questions in Shortlands
How do I find out if my home in Shortlands is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Shortlands?
It can be, so it is useful to let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when you book. The visit is then planned around what’s available.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
There’s no single answer. We record how the stack is doing and whether it’s capped with ventilation. If you’re thinking of removing it, check with the council first in a conservation area or on a listed building.
Can you tell me if my roof has asbestos?
No. We can flag materials that might contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. It may be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
How soon will I get the report?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. All of them come by email, ready to forward.
What’s the best way to book?
To arrange a survey, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know the address and what you need to know. We’ll confirm the price and find a day that suits.
What do I do with the report?
You’ll receive the report by email, and you decide the next step: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Before and after the survey
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. What helps most:
- Keep the report to compare against at the next survey
- Book a sweep for flues that are in use
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It covers the pots, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings, and any damp we found inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Check fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.