Kent · London and the South East
Chimney Survey in Swanley Village
We take a careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Swanley Village, and put it all in a report with photos.
- Mortar washing out of the joints
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Cracked or missing flaunching
What this survey cannot tell you
This is not a RICS building survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Conditions inside walls
- Areas we can’t view from safe positions
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in Swanley Village
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Brick chimney stacks
How a chimney survey works in Swanley Village
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is frequently shared with next door. We look at whatever is safely visible and what the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. Everything is written up with photos and our recommendations. Common reasons to book are flashings pulling away from the stack and disused chimneys trapping moisture, on brick chimney stacks, chimney pots and cowls and shared and party-wall stacks.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
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
- Swanley Village (BR8)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Surveys for landlords and agents in Swanley Village
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. We agree a time with the tenant beforehand.
If the property is let, the agent or a tenant can let us in, at a time agreed beforehand. Surveys run on weekdays and at weekends, which helps when tenants work during the week.
Why act early in Swanley Village
Chimneys are easy to forget because you rarely see the top of them. Problems often go unnoticed until damp appears inside. Surveying the stack now can catch problems first. Matching old materials, such as handmade tiles or stone slates, can take time to source. That’s one more reason to find defects before they become urgent.
Our price is from £150, including VAT. Basic starts from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, VAT included.
What you get with us
- Visits on any day of the week
- A written report with photos
- More than 5,000 surveys completed
- PI and public liability insurance
See what a roof survey costs and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys in Swanley Village: local notes
About 3.3 miles south lies Lullingstone Castle, a reminder of how long the area around Swanley Village has been built on. Older roofs in the wider area can hide decades of patch repairs, so the detail matters, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles hung on pegs through two holes, are typical of older Kent buildings. The county’s older buildings also include oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters.
Landlords with a home close to Swanley station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. Anyone responsible for a site like Downsview Community Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other.
Swanley Village is about 3 miles south-west of Dartford, in Kent. Houses, flats, blocks and commercial buildings in Swanley Village can all book chimney surveys. Our Kent coverage includes Swanley Village. We also survey roofs in London.
Surveys in BR8 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Church Road, Hotham Close and School Lane and the roads around them. We also cover Hextable (1 mile north-west), Puddledock (1 mile north-west), Stonehill Green (1 mile north-west), Wilmington (2 miles north) and Joyden's Wood (2 miles north-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Dartford (3 miles north-east), Sevenoaks (9 miles south), Gravesend (8 miles east), Tonbridge (15 miles south), Northfleet (7 miles east) and Kings Hill (13 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Swanley Village
In Swanley Village, that means homes and buildings near Hextable School. The closest station to Swanley Village is Swanley station, about 1.5 miles south-west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Eynsford Castle (2.5 miles south) and Dartford Library (2.8 miles north). The countryside around Swanley Village includes Wansunt Pit.
Towns and villages near Swanley Village
What else we do in Swanley Village
What we are asked to look at in Swanley Village
Removing a chimney breast inside can leave questions about how the stack is supported. We note what’s visible in the roof space and outside, and recommend a structural engineer where support is in question.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- A chimney out of line
- Bricks with flaking faces
If yours is one of the older homes in the streets near Church of Saint Paul, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Whether VAT is added on top
- How long they’ve been surveying roofs
- What exactly goes into their report
- How long the report takes to arrive
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney pots and cowls
Each pot is bedded into the flaunching, frequently with a cowl or cap on top. We check that they look secure and undamaged.
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.
What we do, step by step
You don’t need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll get on with the inspection. A typical survey takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. Cottages and farmhouses around Swanley Village often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- The flashings and the roof around each chimney are inspected.
- The top of each stack is checked for cracked flaunching and loose pots.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
- Make a note of anything you’d like us to look at
Getting a price
If you have photos of the roof, send them over. Pictures from the ground or a window are fine. To get started, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
FAQs for Swanley Village
How do I find out if my home in Swanley Village is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Will you come out to Swanley Village?
Yes, Swanley Village is on our map. Villages and rural addresses get the same survey as a town house.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect whatever is safely visible: from the ground, from windows and vantage points, from the roof space, from the roof itself where safe and by drone where it applies. Anything we can’t see is noted in the report.
Will I get photos?
Yes, plenty. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, so you can see what we mean.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
Damp on a chimney breast typically means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. The survey looks at the stack, the flashings and the capping and records the likely cause.
What if it rains on the day?
Light rain does not normally stop a survey, and it can even help show where water is getting in. Heavy rain or strong wind can ground a drone and make the roof unsafe, so we’ll agree a new date if the weather is not suitable.
How can you see the top of the stack?
Each stack is viewed from the safest viewpoints: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the roof space. A drone inspection is included in our Premium Survey where it applies. We note anything we couldn’t see.