West Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in South Bersted
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in South Bersted, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Get in touch for a price.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Mortar washing out of the joints
About our chimney survey in South Bersted
A chimney survey is about the outside of the stack and the roof around it. It is not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. For the flue itself, you will need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. Typical surveys look at pots or cowls that look unsafe and staining on walls around the chimney, on brick chimney stacks, flaunching and chimney pots and cowls.
Around South Bersted, gardens, hedges and nearby trees can mean leaves and moss end up on roofs and in gutters. Once gutters and outlets block, water spills over and soaks the walls. It is the kind of slow problem a roof report picks up early. Moss on the roof and weeds in the gutter are both easy to spot from ground level.
It isn’t only a list of defects. For each finding, it explains what it is, why it matters and what we’d recommend, so you can decide what to do next.
- Where
- South Bersted (PO21, PO22, BN14)
- Wider area
- West Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What we are asked to look at in South Bersted
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Living close to The Brooks Local Nature Reserve is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn.
Before booking anyone
- What they won’t be able to tell you
- Which parts of the roof they’ll actually see
- How soon the report will arrive
- What happens after the report arrives
Other services in South Bersted
Chimney surveys in South Bersted: local notes
South Bersted lies within about 1 mile of the sea, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Metal fixings and flashings corrode faster in salt air, while gales work at loose ridges, slates and tiles, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Handmade clay tiles and tile-hung upper walls are typical of older Sussex houses. Horsham stone slab roofs survive on some old Sussex buildings. Whatever the covering, it’s frequently the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you live in an older home near Church of St Mary Magdalene, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. If you look after a building like South Bersted CofE Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
South Bersted is about 1 mile north-east of Bognor Regis, in West Sussex. We cover South Bersted and the rest of West Sussex. South Bersted is one of the towns and villages in West Sussex where we work. There’s also a page for Portsmouth.
Surveys in PO21, PO22 and BN14 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. That includes homes and businesses on Ivy Lane, Hook Lane and Essex Road. Close by, we survey roofs in Bognor Regis (1 mile south-west), Felpham (1 mile east), Shripney (1 mile north), Aldwick (2 miles south-west) and Flansham (2 miles north-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Worthing (12 miles east), Chichester (6 miles north-west), Selsey (6 miles south-west), Littlehampton (6 miles east), Emsworth (12 miles west) and Rustington (7 miles east).
Around South Bersted
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Brooks Local Nature Reserve, The Regis School and The William Hardwicke pub, among other places. South Bersted has its own railway station: Bognor Regis station. Other landmarks nearby include Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital (under half a mile south) and Bognor Regis Museum (0.8 miles south).
Landlords, agents and block managers in South Bersted
For a freeholder or residents’ company, a roof report is a sound basis for a maintenance plan, with the most urgent items set out first.
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
How it works
You don’t need to do much on the day. Point out anything you’ve noticed, such as stains, drips or loose pieces, and we will get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes about 1–2 hours on an ordinary house, and longer for a large or complex roof. A visit to a smaller place like South Bersted is no different on the day: outside, inside and from any safe vantage point, in that order. Point out any stains, cracks or loose pieces you’ve spotted.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before the survey
- Jot down any questions you want answered
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- Keep pets out of the way during the survey
Book a survey
For a price for chimney surveys in South Bersted, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you want to find out help us price the survey accurately.
Advice
Why get it checked now?
Before deciding what to do with a redundant stack, a survey shows how it is doing. Changes to stacks in conservation areas or on listed buildings may need consent, so check with them first. Around South Bersted, a leak in an older house can soak into timbers and plaster, which is far harder to put right than the roof fault itself.
What a survey costs comes down to the roof itself: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
Why us?
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- An independent look at the roof
- PI and public liability insurance
Take a look at our cost guide or two real surveys.
FAQs for South Bersted
I let a flat near Bognor Regis station. Can you check the roof?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address and what you need, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
How do I find out if my home in South Bersted is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will I get photos?
Yes. The report includes photos of what we found.
How long is the visit?
It usually takes roughly 1–2 hours for most houses, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. The written report follows by email, on the timescale of your package.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. It’s a specialist roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 building survey. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
What do I do with the report?
The report comes 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.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Our report may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it is a job for a specialist asbestos surveyor. Buildings built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Tips that help
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. Because everyone is pricing the same findings, the quotes are easier to compare.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Roof by roof
Brick stacks
Frost can damage bricks that have soaked up water, making the faces flake away. Any spalling is noted with photos.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we check them closely.