Oxfordshire · London and the South East
South Leigh Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in South Leigh. We’ve completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Worn or missing pointing
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
What a chimney survey looks like in South Leigh
West Oxfordshire’s older buildings frequently carry Cotswold stone slates, and a few villages in the county keep their thatch. Across the South East, older homes tend to have slate or clay tiles, and many later ones concrete tiles. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. About 4.6 miles west lies Minster Lovell Hall, a reminder of how long the area around South Leigh has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Landlords with a home close to Hanborough station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. If you live in an older home near Church of St James, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
South Leigh is about 3 miles east of Witney, in Oxfordshire. We survey roofs in South Leigh across London and South East England. South Leigh is one of the towns and villages in Oxfordshire we cover. We also survey roofs in Oxford.
We work across the OX29 postcode area for chimney surveys. Whether your property is on Station Road, Church End and Chapel Road or anywhere close by, we can survey it. If you’re just outside South Leigh, we cover High Cogges (1 mile west), Madley Park (2 miles north-west), Hardwick (2 miles south-west), Cogges (2 miles west) and Stanton Harcourt (2 miles south-east). Further out, we also cover Oxford (9 miles east), Didcot (14 miles south-east), Bicester (15 miles north-east), Abingdon-on-Thames (9 miles south-east), Witney (3 miles west) and Carterton (7 miles west).
Landmarks near South Leigh
South Leigh’s nearest station is Hanborough station, roughly 4.1 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Cogges Manor Farm Museum (2.1 miles west).
How a chimney survey works in South Leigh
Our survey covers the structure of the stack and its weathering details. It’s not a flue inspection, a chimney sweep or a gas safety inspection. If you use a fire or a gas appliance, the flue should be checked by a sweep or a Gas Safe registered engineer as appropriate. If something we see points to the flue, we will say so. We survey brick chimney stacks, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney pots and cowls, and the problems we are asked to look at most are spalled or crumbling bricks and lifted or split lead flashings.
Somewhere as small as South Leigh, homes are often older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Roofs there can be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, and chimney stacks are often old. Each needs checking in its own way, and thatch is a specialist material we report on as far as it can be seen. On older roofs, it’s typically the chimneys and lead flashings that need work first.
Report times depend on the survey you book: the Basic Survey within 48 hours, the Standard Survey in 24 to 48 hours and the Premium Survey on the same day.
- Place
- South Leigh (OX29)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in South Leigh
How do I find out if my home in South Leigh is listed?
You can check whether a building is listed on Historic England’s list, and your council can tell you if it’s in a conservation area. 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.
Do you cover smaller places like South Leigh?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our area covers London and the South East. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We survey what we can see safely, and note anything that seems to involve next door.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Are you insured?
Every survey is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance, and details are available on request.
Will you check the chimney is safe to use with a fire?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you will need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do you look in the loft space?
If it is needed and safe to reach, yes. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement, as far as the space allows.
What we do, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we listen to what’s been worrying you, inspect the roof from every safe vantage point, photograph what we find and make notes for the report. It normally takes roughly 1–2 hours at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around South Leigh often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- Any lean, spalling or worn pointing is recorded.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
How to book
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the roof’s size, access and the package, so call 07833 053749 or send us an email with the details.
Advice
Towns and villages near South Leigh
More services for South Leigh
Roof by roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
Damp patches on chimney breasts often point to a problem above. We check the breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach.
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.
Common roof problems in South Leigh
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We record what we can see in the loft and outside, and the report recommends a structural engineer if support is a concern.
A survey makes sense if you’ve noticed:
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Gaps in the mortar around the pots
- A chimney out of line
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Wood Green School, long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle.
Questions to ask before you book
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Their insurance cover
- What happens after the report arrives
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
Landlords, agents and block managers in South Leigh
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.
Buyers’ agents can book surveys on behalf of their clients. The report is emailed, so it can go straight to your client.
Prices for chimney surveys in South Leigh
When we price a survey, we consider:
- Extra roofs, like extensions, dormers or garages
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- The type of building, from a house to a block or an office
- Building height and the viewpoints available
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
What to tell us when you get in touch
When you call or email, these details help:
- The address and postcode of the property
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
Photos help, if you have them. Take them safely from the ground or a window; never climb up to get a better view. To send them or to book, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
What you can safely check yourself
You can learn a lot from the ground. Binoculars help you spot slipped slates or tiles, gaps along the ridge and a leaning stack. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That’s where a survey comes in.