Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Spitalfields
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you spend money on it. We carry out chimney surveys in Spitalfields, with photos and a clear written report.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
How a chimney survey works in Spitalfields
Many terraced and semi-detached homes share their chimney stacks with a neighbour. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. Where a problem seems to involve a neighbour’s side, the report records it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and what we recommend. We are often asked to look into damp patches on chimney breasts and lifted or split lead flashings, on chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, many with Welsh slate roofs, shared chimney stacks and parapet or valley gutters. Good slates can last over a hundred years, yet the nails often give out first and let slates slip. Homes in Spitalfields are no exception. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a proper look too.
The report is written in plain words, so it makes sense without any roofing background. Each point is backed by a photograph where possible, with the urgent items made clear.
- Location
- Spitalfields (E1, EC2A, E1W)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Cover
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common roof problems in Spitalfields
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 recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
Signs worth acting on include:
- Worn or missing pointing
- A stack that appears to lean
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
If you run a business near Gabriel's Wharf, knowing the roof’s condition lets you budget for work rather than pay for emergencies.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Whether the roof space is looked at, where there is one
- Which viewpoints they use to see the roof
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- What the report includes, and whether it has photographs
Nearby places to Spitalfields
What else we do in Spitalfields
Questions from Spitalfields
I let a flat near London Liverpool Street station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email and let us know about the building.
Is my home in Spitalfields listed or in a conservation area?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you are planning to re-roof in a different material.
How many surveys have you done?
We have been surveying roofs for over 20 years and have carried out more than 5,000 surveys.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only where it’s safe to do so. We inspect whatever is safely visible: from ground level, from windows and vantage points, from the loft space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where applicable. The report says if anything couldn’t be seen.
How long is the visit?
It typically takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. You will then get the report by email, on the timescale of your package.
Are you structural engineers?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Will I get photos?
Yes. The report includes photographs of what we found, so you can see each point for yourself.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Spitalfields
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Let us know about it when you book and we will plan the survey around it.
Businesses and commercial landlords can book us too, from shops and offices to industrial units. Larger roofs take longer.
Prices for chimney surveys in Spitalfields
Prices always include VAT. What changes the price is:
- Whether you choose the Basic, Standard or Premium Survey
- The size of the roof
- The shape of the roof and its details
- Height and safe access
Prices quoted always include VAT, and the written report is part of the package. Our price is from £150, including VAT. Where your roof sits in the range depends on its size, height and access.
What to let us know when you get in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. Please include:
- Why you want a survey: buying, a leak, a storm or new work
- The style of property, from a terrace to a block
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- Your timetable, like an exchange date
Most bookings start with a short call: phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Chimney surveys around Spitalfields
Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that cannot be seen from the pavement. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look. With Mansion House about 0.7 miles west, Spitalfields sits in an area with a long building history. On older houses around here, roofs frequently 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 London Liverpool Street station may find that a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. If you live near a park such as Finsbury Circus, or anywhere with mature trees, autumn leaves can block gutters and valleys.
Spitalfields is about 1 mile north-east of London, in Greater London. Spitalfields gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Across Greater London, we cover Spitalfields.
Surveys in E1, EC2A and E1W work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover properties on New Road, Mark Lane and Bell Lane. Spitalfields sits on or near the A10 and A1202, which makes travel easy. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Whitechapel (1 mile east), Aldgate (1 mile south-west), Bishopsgate (1 mile west), Tower Hill (1 mile south) and Shoreditch (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (3 miles west), Marylebone (3 miles west), Kensington (6 miles west), Walthamstow (5 miles north-east), Hampstead (5 miles north-west) and Ruislip (15 miles west).
Local landmarks in Spitalfields
Around Spitalfields, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Finsbury Circus, Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives and Canon Barnett Primary School and the streets around them. Also close by are St Mary-at-Hill (0.6 miles south-west), London Enterprise Academy (0.5 miles east) and Kings Stores pub (less than half a mile north-west). Spitalfields has its own railway station: London Liverpool Street station. Other landmarks nearby include Tower of London (0.6 miles south) and Gabriel's Wharf (1.5 miles west). For a walk, there is Tower Hill and Lavender Pond.
What happens on the day
Every roof is different; as a rough guide, the survey takes between one and two hours for a house, and about three to four hours for a commercial roof. If you have questions on the day, just ask. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it is useful to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Everything else is planned around the building, not the postcode.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- We check the chimney breasts and the stack in the roof space where we can reach them.
- You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Book a survey
When you’re ready to go ahead, call 07833 053749 or use the contact form. We will suggest a package, agree the price and find a date.
Read more
What this survey cannot tell you
To be straight with you, a roof survey has limits:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we cannot access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or email us and we will tell you. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
Roof by roof
Lead flashings
Where the chimney meets the roof slopes, lead flashings keep water out. We check for lifting, splits and gaps in the joints.
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. We look for cracks, gaps around the pots and missing pieces.