East Sussex · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Southover
Chimney surveys in Southover, with over 20 years’ experience behind it. You get a clear report with photographs.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Bricks with flaking faces
Chimney survey in Southover: what you get
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’ll need a sweep or, for gas appliances, a Gas Safe registered engineer. We will tell you if we see anything that suggests they should take a look. We survey lead flashings, shared and party-wall stacks and brick chimney stacks, and people most often book us about damp patches on chimney breasts and redundant stacks capped without ventilation.
In a smaller place like Southover, homes range from older cottages to bungalows and newer houses. Coverings range from slate and clay tiles on older homes to concrete tiles on many later ones. On older homes, chimney stacks, valleys and gutters are typically where the work is. Nails and battens under older coverings often give out before the slates or tiles themselves.
Findings are set out part by part, from the coverings down to the gutters, each with a short note and a photo. It records what’s sound as well as what is not.
- Where
- Southover (BN7, BN8)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Roofs, chimneys and gutters in Southover
In Sussex, older roofs are often handmade clay tile, frequently with tile-hanging on the walls below. A few old Sussex buildings still carry heavy Horsham stone slabs, and the county’s older buildings include oast houses and Wealden hall houses. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. The wider area around Southover has a long history of building, with Anne of Cleves House about 0.2 miles south-west. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material.
The streets around a church such as Church of St Michael are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, its chimney, valleys and lead work are likely to be the parts that need attention first. Take a building like Western Road Community Primary School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Southover is about 1 mile south-east of Lewes, in East Sussex. Southover is part of the area we cover and the surrounding area across London and South East England. Southover is one of the towns and villages in East Sussex we cover for chimney surveys. We also survey roofs in Brighton.
Here we cover the BN7 and BN8 postcode area for chimney surveys. If you need a chimney survey at a property on Ham Lane, New Road and Bell Lane or anywhere close by, we can survey it. Main roads around Southover include the A277 and A2029. We also cover the places around Southover: Cliffe (1 mile north-east), Lewes (1 mile north-west), South Malling (1 mile north), Iford (2 miles south-west) and Offham (2 miles north-west). Larger places within reach include Eastbourne (13 miles south-east), Seaford (8 miles south-east), Hailsham (11 miles east), Crowborough (14 miles north-east), Uckfield (8 miles north-east) and Newhaven (6 miles south).
Local landmarks in Southover
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Kings Head pub, Priory School and Railway Land, among other places. There is a railway station in Southover itself: Lewes station. Nearby you will also find Lewes Castle (less than half a mile north-west) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (3.9 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Cliffe Hill and Southerham Farm.
What affects the cost of chimney surveys
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Building height and the viewpoints available
- Whether it is a home or a commercial building
- The size of the roof
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- Where water is showing inside, if it is
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- What kind of property and roof it is
When you are ready to go ahead, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email. From there it is a case of choosing a package, agreeing the price and fixing a day, weekday or weekend.
Why act early in Southover
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you know where you stand. Arranging work in a smaller place like Southover is easier with notice than in an emergency. A survey gives you that notice.
Bigger, taller and commercial roofs take more time to survey, so the price reflects that. The price is confirmed before you book.
Why book with us
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- An independent look at the roof
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Weekday and weekend surveys
Read how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Also near Southover
Other services in Southover
Do you need a chimney survey in Southover?
Flashings seal the gap where a stack passes through the roof. With age they can lift, split or come away from the joints. When flashings fail, water often shows up in the loft or on the chimney breast. Lead flashings can also be stolen.
Signs worth acting on include:
- A chimney out of line
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
If you let a flat or house near Lewes station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the price includes VAT
- Do they have a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID for drone work?
- What happens after the report arrives
What a chimney survey does not cover
A survey is a proper look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. The main limits are:
- Hidden damage within the stack
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
- A structural engineer’s assessment
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will suggest the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Southover
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Flaunching
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Landlords, agents and block managers in Southover
Surveys can also be booked by buyers’ agents acting for a client. Reports are emailed, so they’re easy to pass on.
Letting agents and landlords in Southover book surveys as well as homeowners. A written report with photographs gives you a clear record of the chimney stack, useful for planning maintenance.
What happens on the day
We work from the outside in: outside views come first, then the roof space if there is safe access. All told, expect about one to two hours on an ordinary house, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Homes around Southover frequently have gardens on more than one side, which gives us room to step back and see the roof. Let us know if any side is fenced off or hard to reach. Inside, the loft is looked at where it can be reached safely.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there is access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
How to prepare
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- Let us know about parking near the property
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
How to book
Buyers should book once an offer has been accepted, so there is time to use the report before exchange. For any other survey, just ring 07833 053749 or email us when you’re ready.
Advice
Common questions in Southover
Is Southover within the area you cover?
Yes. Southover is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work right across London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there as you book.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Southover?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. It is worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
It can come from several places: cracked flaunching, worn pointing, failed flashings, uncapped pots, or damp trapped in an unventilated stack. We look at each one and note the most likely cause.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes, every report has them. Each finding is shown in a picture where possible.
Does someone need to be in?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
What happens after the survey?
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.
How do I arrange a chimney survey in Southover?
Simply call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address. After a few questions, we confirm the price and fix a day, weekday or weekend.