Greater London · London and the South East
Surrey Quays Chimney Survey
Find out what’s going on with the chimney stack before you decide what to do next. We carry out chimney surveys in Surrey Quays, with photos and a clear written report.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Loose, cracked or missing pots
- Damp patches on chimney breasts
About our chimney survey in Surrey Quays
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. 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 chimney breasts, flaunching and shared and party-wall stacks, and the problems we are asked to look at most are redundant stacks capped without ventilation and lifted or split lead flashings.
London has a great many flats in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, where the roof is usually a shared part of the building. Landlords, managing agents and residents’ companies need to know what condition it’s in and what work is coming up. A defect on a shared roof can reach more than one flat. With a written report and photographs, everyone can plan from the same facts.
The report records the chimney stack as we found it on the day. That makes it useful now and a handy reference later, such as when you want to compare after future work.
- Where
- Surrey Quays (SE16, SE8, SE15)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Cover
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Surrey Quays homes and their roofs
The wider area around Surrey Quays has a long history of building, with Queen's House about 1.9 miles south-east. 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 any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces is a familiar sight across inner London. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. Shared chimney stacks, party-wall upstands and lead work come with this kind of house. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Trees in and around Deptford Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall. Anyone responsible for a site like Rotherhithe Primary School will know that a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Surrey Quays is about 2 miles south-east of Whitechapel, in Greater London. In Surrey Quays, as across Greater London, every roof gets the same careful survey. Surrey Quays is one of the places in Greater London where we work for chimney surveys.
Here we cover the SE16, SE8 and SE15 postcode area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on Bush Road, Gomm Road and Lower Road. Surrey Quays sits on or near the A200 and A2208, which makes travel easy. We also cover the places around Surrey Quays: Rotherhithe (1 mile north), Surrey Canal (1 mile south-west), South Bermondsey (1 mile south-west), Millwall (1 mile east) and North Greenwich (1 mile east). Larger places within reach include City of Westminster (5 miles west), Marylebone (5 miles west), Kensington (7 miles west), St Pancras (4 miles north-west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-west) and Walthamstow (7 miles north).
Near you in Surrey Quays
Typical jobs here are in homes near Spa School, Deptford Park and Bacon's College. There’s a railway station in Surrey Quays itself: Surrey Quays station. A little further out are Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (within half a mile north-west) and Brunel Museum (0.8 miles north-west). The countryside around Surrey Quays includes Lavender Pond and Tower Hill.
Can I check my roof myself?
You can learn a lot from the ground. With binoculars, look for slipped or missing slates and tiles, gaps along the ridge and leaning chimneys. Please do not climb up for a closer look.
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What happens if roof problems are left?
A damp chimney breast seldom dries out until the cause is found. It can spoil decoration and plaster. Knowing whether it’s the flaunching, flashings, brickwork or ventilation means the right fix can be planned. In Surrey Quays, as across London, an overflowing gutter soaks the wall below. A small blockage left for a few winters becomes a damp problem.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: its size, its height, how many sections it has and how it can be reached and seen safely. Prices start from £150, including VAT.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Surrey Quays
- A photo-illustrated written report
- More than 20 years surveying roofs
- Thermal imaging and drone inspection where they help
- 98% customer satisfaction
See our cost guide and our case studies.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Surrey Quays
Can a landlord with a rental near Surrey Quays station book a roof survey?
Yes, landlords and letting agents book with us as well as owners. You can ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and some details, including who will give access on the day.
Can parking be tricky for a visit in Surrey Quays?
In much of London, parking needs planning: a visitor permit or a nearby bay makes the day run more smoothly, so mention what’s available as you book.
What does a roof survey cost?
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. Our Basic Survey starts from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all with VAT included.
How do I book a survey in Surrey Quays?
To book, phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address, the type of property and what’s prompted the survey. We will confirm the price and find a day that suits.
Our stack is shared. Can you still survey it?
Yes. We inspect whatever is safely visible and what you give us access to. If a defect seems to be on your neighbour’s side, the report records it and you can raise it with them.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, so it is not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID), flying a sub-250g drone. It’s included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we’ll tell you before booking. What our survey covers.
Roof types and parts we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
The survey, step by step
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. It helps us focus on what matters most to you. The visit normally takes about 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In Surrey Quays, as in much of London, plenty of properties are flats or terraces without side access, so the back of the roof is often seen from upstairs windows, from inside or, where a flight is allowed, from the air. Mention any building rules, key holders or managing agents when you book.
- We go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We check every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- We look for damp on chimney breasts and in the roof space.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
How to prepare
- Check pets are kept safely away
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
- Show us where any leaks or stains appear
How to book
A quick phone call is usually the easiest start: ring 07833 053749 or send us an email and we’ll ask a few questions about the roof. The price is agreed before a date is set.
Related advice
Places near Surrey Quays
What else we do in Surrey Quays
What affects the price in Surrey Quays
To price your survey, we look at:
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- The roof’s overall size
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on the size and height of the roof, access and which survey you book.
Booking your survey
To price your survey accurately, we will ask about:
- What made you get in touch
- Where the property is, with the postcode
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
You can call us seven days a week, including Saturdays and Sundays. For a price or to book, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
When to book a survey in Surrey Quays
Years of fires can affect the mortar inside a stack. Mortar can deteriorate unevenly from flue gases and moisture, which can make a stack lean.
People normally book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Signs that a stack is leaning
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching that has broken away
If your house is among the older ones in the streets near St Katharine with St Bartholomew, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Before booking anyone
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- How they plan to inspect the roof safely
- Their report turnaround times
- Will the report include photos?