Hampshire · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in South Down
Chimney surveys in South Down, backed by more than 20 years’ experience. Every survey ends with a written report and photos.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- A stack that appears to lean
South Down: your questions answered
Can a landlord with a rental near Shawford station book a roof survey?
Yes, letting agents and landlords book with us as well as owners. You can phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details.
Is South Down within the area you cover?
Yes, South Down is covered. We work right across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
What does the report include?
It works through the roof part by part, in writing and with photos, finishing with recommendations. Points are put by urgency where it matters.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. Asbestos surveys and sampling aren’t something we do. Where a material might contain it, such as old cement sheets on a building from before 2000, the report flags it, with a recommendation to have a specialist asbestos surveyor check before it’s disturbed.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
It depends on what we need to see. Inside the building and in the loft, we need someone to let us in, while outside access can be discussed as you book.
What should I do with a chimney I do not use?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. If it’s capped without ventilation, damp can build up inside. We check how it is capped and its condition, so you can decide with a builder what to do.
Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and details are available on request.
Chimney survey in South Down
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. Typical surveys look at staining on walls around the chimney and cracked or missing flaunching, on lead flashings, chimney breasts and chimney pots and cowls.
In a village or hamlet like South Down, older cottages and farmhouses frequently sit alongside barns, outbuildings and a few newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are frequently old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs often need the most attention.
The report is written in plain words, so you do not need to be a roofer to follow it. Photos show what each point refers to, and recommendations are put by urgency where it matters.
- Place
- South Down (SO21)
- Region
- Hampshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What this survey can’t tell you
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in South Down
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
Roof by roof
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render cannot be seen without removing some, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Surveys for landlords and agents in South Down
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Letting agents frequently book on a landlord’s behalf. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
Chimney surveys around South Down
England has around 10,000 conservation areas and about 500,000 listed buildings. If your 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, so the council is the place to ask. A number of Hampshire villages keep thatched roofs on their older buildings. Older houses in the South East often have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Take an older house close to Church of All Saints: its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look. If you let a flat or house near Shawford station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you look after a building like Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
South Down is about 3 miles north-east of Chandler's Ford, in Hampshire. We cover South Down and the rest of Hampshire. Our area takes in places right across Hampshire, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Southampton.
Here we cover the SO21 postcode area for chimney surveys. You will find streets such as Cross Way, Fairfield Road and Grove Road. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Compton (1 mile north), Otterbourne (1 mile south-west), Shawford (1 mile north-east), Twyford (1 mile east) and Oliver's Battery (2 miles north). Further out, we also cover Winchester (3 miles north), Eastleigh (3 miles south), Fareham (13 miles south-east), Andover (15 miles north-west), Totton (10 miles south-west) and Chandler's Ford (3 miles south-west).
Around South Down
We work in homes and buildings around The Bridge Inn and Thornden School, among other places. The nearest railway station is Shawford station, roughly 0.6 miles north-east. Nearby you’ll also find Balfour Museum of Hampshire Red Cross History (2.9 miles north) and Wolvesey Castle (3.2 miles north). Not far away are Twyford Down and Shawford Down.
Tips from our surveys
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out as worth the effort:
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Find out whether changes to a stack need permission
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Keep an eye on chimney breasts for new damp patches. The sooner damp is spotted, the easier the cause is to find.
Also near South Down
Also in South Down
How it works
The visit usually starts outside and finishes in the loft: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes between one and two hours at a typical home, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. For a village or hamlet like South Down, the journey is planned beforehand: let us know about narrow lanes, gates, long drives and where we can park. On the day, we inspect whatever is safely visible, inside and out.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- 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.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before we arrive
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- If you’re buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Make sure we can get to the back of the property
Getting a price
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Read more
What a survey costs
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. That comes down to:
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- How many separate roofs there are, like extensions, dormers and garages
- The use of thermal imaging or a drone
- Basic, Standard or Premium
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. The price is always agreed first.
Helping us price your survey
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It helps to include:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Any photos you have, taken from ground level or a window
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
Every survey is priced before it is booked, so you know the cost up front. Our price is from £150, including VAT. To book, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.