Greater London · London and the South East
Smithfield Chimney Survey
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Smithfield. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney pots and cowls
A loose or cracked pot can fall from height. We record their condition with photos.
Flaunching
Cracked flaunching is one of the most common chimney defects we record. It is normally a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Chimney survey in Smithfield
A chimney stands up above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. In time, flaunching cracks, mortar washes out and flashings come loose. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. We’re frequently asked to look into bricks with flaking faces and staining on walls around the chimney, on shared and party-wall stacks, chimney pots and cowls and chimney breasts.
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 Smithfield with this kind of roof, the hidden gutter is one of the first things to check.
Every survey ends with a written report, with photographs, sent by email. It sets out the condition of the chimney stack, any defects and our written recommendations.
- Where
- Smithfield (EC1V, EC1P, EC1R)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Smithfield
Also in Smithfield
Your questions about chimney surveys in Smithfield
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Smithfield?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Smithfield?
It depends on the street. If Smithfield has controlled parking where you are, a visitor permit is the easiest answer, and a driveway is even better.
Will I get photos?
Yes. Photographs are part of every report, so you can see each point for yourself.
Do you need to get into the loft?
Yes, where the survey calls for it and there is safe access. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
What happens after the survey?
The report comes by email, and what you do next is up to you: raise it with a seller, send it to an insurer, brief a roofer or share it with a managing agent.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We check everything that can be seen safely: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the loft space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where it applies. Anything we cannot see is noted in the report.
How long does the survey take?
It usually takes about 1–2 hours for a house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The written report follows by email, on the timescale of your package.
Local roofs in Smithfield
Historic houses such as Dr Johnson's House, about 0.3 miles south-west, show how far back building in the area around Smithfield goes. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
Take a building like Charterhouse Square School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you own a rental within reach of Farringdon station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Take an older house close to St Bartholomew-the-Less: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Smithfield is about 1 mile north of London, in Greater London. Whether the building in Smithfield is a house, a flat or a commercial unit, the roof can be surveyed. Our Greater London coverage includes Smithfield and the places around it.
We cover every part of EC1V, EC1P and EC1R for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Oat Lane, Shoe Lane and Long Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Being close to the A1 and A4, Smithfield is easy for us to reach. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Farringdon (1 mile north), Blackfriars (1 mile south), Holborn (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile south-west) and Clerkenwell (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (14 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (4 miles south).
Landmarks near Smithfield
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to London Nautical School, Barts Health Archives and St Alban's Church of England Primary School. You will also find St Mary-at-Hill (1 mile south-east), Oriole pub (within half a mile south-west) and Postman's Park (under half a mile south-east). Smithfield has its own railway station: Farringdon station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (less than half a mile south) and Postal Museum (within half a mile south-east). The countryside around Smithfield includes Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
What a survey costs
Survey packages start from £150, inc. VAT. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- Chimneys, valleys, parapets and other details
- Roof area
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
Booking your survey
Before you get in touch, it helps to have:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Anything about access we should know
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
- The address and postcode of the property
To get a price for chimney surveys in Smithfield, call 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you want to find out help us give you an accurate price.
For landlords and managing agents
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it when you book and we’ll plan the visit with that in mind.
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan.
How the survey works
The visit has one job: to see as much of the chimney stack as can safely be seen and record it clearly. Notes and photos go into the written report. The visit typically takes roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In Smithfield, visits are available on weekdays and at weekends. London parking is frequently by permit or pay-and-display, so it helps to know what’s near you. Upstairs rooms at the back are useful too, as they often give the best view of a rear addition.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we are coming
- Leave side gates unlocked
Getting a price
We survey roofs on weekdays and at weekends. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Related advice
DIY checks: what’s safe
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
During heavy rain, look at the gutters from the ground or a window. Water spilling over the edge can point to a blockage or a sagging run.
Practical tips
Over many surveys, some simple habits stand out:
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.