Greater London · London and the South East
Southall Chimney Survey
Not sure what state the chimney stack is in? We carry out chimney surveys in Southall and across Greater London.
- Flaunching that has broken away
- A stack that appears to lean
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Southall: your questions answered
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Southall?
It rarely stops a survey, but it’s worth planning. Let us know what parking is available nearby, and the visit is planned around it.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Southall?
For listing, use Historic England’s list; for conservation areas, ask the council. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Where it’s applicable and safe, yes. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where applicable, the Premium Survey.
What does a chimney survey cover?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. We also check chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach. Everything is written up with photos.
What happens next?
You’ll get the report by email. With Standard there’s a follow-up consultation; with Premium, an in-person consultation.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. If we see signs that need an engineer’s opinion, we’ll recommend one.
Chimney survey in Southall
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. A disused stack still needs looking after. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. The report sets out what we found and what we recommend. If you’ve noticed damp on a chimney breast inside and loose, cracked or missing pots, we can find out what’s behind it.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is typically a shared part of the building. Landlords, managing agents and residents’ companies need to know what condition it is in and what work is coming up. Leaks from a shared roof rarely affect just one home. With a written report and photos, everyone can plan from the same facts.
It is not only a list of defects. It explains what we found, why it matters and what we recommend.
- Where
- Southall (UB2, UB1, UB6, W7)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How the survey changes by roof type
Rendered stacks
What’s behind the render can’t be seen without removing some, so the report explains what we could and couldn’t assess.
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we look at how the pots are capped. Poor capping can lead to damp inside the stack.
What you can safely check yourself
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Roofs are fragile and slippery, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey, using safe viewpoints and a drone where it applies.
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Towns and villages near Southall
What else we do in Southall
How it works
We’ll ask a few questions first, about the roof’s history, any leaks and past repairs. Then the inspection itself takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. Where that is the case, access needs agreeing with whoever controls that landing. Otherwise, the visit in Southall runs like any other.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We check 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Check the loft hatch can be reached
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
Arrange a survey
If you’re buying, it helps to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. For any other survey, just phone 07833 053749 or email us when you are ready.
Advice
Chimney surveys in Southall: local notes
Osterley House, about 1.7 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Southall. Older homes in the wider area frequently have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years. Alongside Victorian and Edwardian terraces, outer London has a great many interwar semis, often with hipped roofs of clay or concrete tiles. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
If you let a flat or house near Southall station, the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. Trees in and around Minet Country Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters. If you run a business near Treaty Centre, a dated report on the roof is useful for planning and for any lease discussions.
Southall is about 3 miles west of Ealing, in Greater London. Wherever you are in Southall, we can come and survey your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. For surveys nearby, see our London page.
Chimney surveys in UB2, UB1, UB6 and W7 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on Uxbridge Road High Street, Emerald Square and Randolph Road. We also cover Dormers Wells (1 mile north-east), West Ealing (2 miles east), Yeading (2 miles north), Yiewsley (2 miles north) and Hanwell (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (12 miles east), City of Westminster (10 miles east), Marylebone (10 miles east), Kensington (8 miles east), St Pancras (11 miles east) and Shoreditch (13 miles east).
What’s near Southall
In Southall, that means homes and buildings near Minet Country Park, Glassy Junction pub and Villiers High School, among other places. There’s a railway station in Southall itself: Southall station. Well-known places in the area include Treaty Centre (2.8 miles south) and Museum of Army Music (3.8 miles south). Not far away are Northala Fields and Middle Lake.
What a survey costs
Prices vary from roof to roof, and it comes down to:
- House, block, shop or office
- Whether thermal imaging or a drone is needed
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
To find out what your survey will cost, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and some details. The price is agreed before a date is set.
What to let us know when you contact us
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Anything about access we should know
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- The property’s address and postcode
When you are ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or send us an email. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Useful tips for Southall property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. The photos show the problem and which side it is on from the viewpoints we used.
Look at your chimneys from the ground now and then, especially after strong winds. With binoculars, you can often see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
A survey is a close look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. Its limits include:
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- Conditions inside walls
If you’re not sure which survey you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we check
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts