Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Southborough, Kent
Need a chimney survey in Southborough? We can help, with findings in writing and pictures to back them up. Weekday and weekend visits available.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
Tips from our surveys
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
- Don’t use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
If the stack is shared, you can pass the report to your neighbour. The photos show the problem and which side it’s on from the viewpoints we used.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. Binoculars help you spot loose pots, missing mortar or lifted flashings.
Chimney survey in Southborough
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it is worth knowing their condition before you exchange. On older stacks, we often find cracked flaunching, loose flashings and worn pointing. Our report gives you specific points to raise with the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’re worried about flaunching that has broken away and damaged chimney pots and cowls, we can find out what’s behind it, on flaunching, brick chimney stacks and chimney breasts alike.
Around Southborough, 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, and moss holds water against tiles. It’s 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 the ground.
Most points in the report come with a picture, so you can see each defect rather than just read about it. Anything out of sight on the day is listed as such.
- Location
- Southborough (TN4, TN2)
- Region
- Kent
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about chimney surveys in Southborough
I let a flat near High Brooms station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the details.
Is Southborough within the area you cover?
Yes, Southborough is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
Are you structural engineers?
No. We are roof surveyors, not structural engineers. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only when it’s safe. Some roofs are too steep or fragile to walk on safely. We use safe viewpoints, the roof space and a drone where applicable.
How quickly is the report sent?
That depends on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day. Reports are sent by email.
Is a leaning chimney dangerous?
Have it checked rather than leaving it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it’s stable.
How can you see the top of the stack?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. Any area we couldn’t view is noted.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
We frequently find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It’s usually a modest repair when it’s caught early.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Southborough
Historic houses such as Penshurst Place, about 3.5 miles west, show how far back building in the area around Southborough goes. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters. Older houses across Kent frequently have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. You’ll also find oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses among the county’s older buildings. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Southborough CofE Primary School, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. Shop and office owners around Royal Victoria Place may find that knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Southborough is about 1 mile north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. Southborough is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Across Kent, we cover Southborough. There’s also a page for Maidstone.
Every address in TN4 and TN2 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Streets in the area include London Road, Church Road and Norton Road. Main roads around Southborough include the A26, which makes travel easy. We also cover the places around Southborough: High Brooms (1 mile south-east), Stockland Green (1 mile west), Bidborough (1 mile north-west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (1 mile south) and Speldhurst (2 miles west). We also work in nearby towns like Maidstone (14 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (9 miles north), Tonbridge (3 miles north), Kings Hill (10 miles north-east), Foley Park (15 miles north-east) and Paddock Wood (6 miles east).
What’s near Southborough
We work in homes and buildings around Barnett's Wood, St Gregory's Catholic School and Flying Dutchman pub and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is High Brooms station, about 1 mile south-east. Other landmarks nearby include Kent and Sussex Hospital (1.4 miles south) and Tonbridge Castle (2.8 miles north). The countryside around Southborough includes Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve and Barden Lake.
When to book a survey in Southborough
Lots of homes have redundant stacks. A stack sealed without ventilation can trap damp. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
If you live in an older home near Christ Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Before booking anyone
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Which limits apply to the survey
- Are they insured for the work?
Places near Southborough
More services for Southborough
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. In total, it takes between one and two hours for most houses, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. In a smaller place like Southborough, parking is seldom the issue; lanes, gates and long drives are worth mentioning. Low roofs on bungalows can often be seen well from ground level, and the loft shows the rest, while taller roofs may need other vantage points or the drone where it applies.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We check every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Before we arrive
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Check we can get to the back of the property
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
Booking a survey
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from ground level or a window are fine, and please don’t climb up for a closer look. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Advice
Landlord and commercial surveys in Southborough
Landlords, agents and building managers in Southborough and across Kent can book any of our surveys. For a price for a let property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To discuss a number of properties, phone 07833 053749 or email us with the addresses.
What a survey costs
Several things affect the price of a survey:
- House, block, shop or office
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The number of roofs, including extensions and garages
- Features like valleys, chimneys, dormers and parapets
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how safely it can be seen. Our price is from £150, including VAT.
What to let us know when you contact us
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Anything about access we should know
- The address and postcode of the property
- The kind of building and roof involved
To get a price for chimney surveys in Southborough, call 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.