Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Temple Bar, Greater London
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Temple Bar. More than 5,000 surveys completed across London and South East England.
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
- Gaps where the stack meets the roof
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
How a chimney survey works in Temple Bar
Many homes have chimneys that are no longer used. Even when it isn’t used, a stack has to stay weathertight. Capping a stack without ventilation can trap moisture and lead to damp inside. We check how redundant stacks have been capped and look for damp in the chimney breasts. You get photos of each stack and our recommendations. Typical surveys look at damaged chimney pots and cowls and redundant stacks capped without ventilation, on shared and party-wall stacks, lead flashings and chimney pots and cowls.
Much of London’s housing is flats, in converted houses or purpose-built blocks, so roofs are frequently shared between several households. Whoever looks after the building needs a clear picture of the roof, chimneys and gutters, in Temple Bar as anywhere. A defect on a shared roof can reach more than one flat. With a written report and photos, everyone can plan from the same facts.
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 isn’t.
- Place
- Temple Bar (WC2B, WC2E, EC1N)
- Region
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- A written report with photos, by email
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a survey costs
What a survey costs depends on the time and equipment it needs. The main factors are:
- Any need for thermal images or a drone flight
- How tall the building is and how easy the roof is to see
- Basic, Standard or Premium
- How complicated the roof is, with its valleys, chimneys and parapets
There are three survey packages: Basic from £150, Standard from £250 and Premium from £400, with VAT included. What your roof costs depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
What we need to know
To price your survey accurately, we’ll ask about:
- When you need the report by
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Any photos you have, taken from the ground or a window
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
We survey roofs seven days a week. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Nearby places to Temple Bar
More services for Temple Bar
DIY checks: what’s safe
Your own check is a good start, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight.
Look up at the roof after a storm, from ground level: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Leave anything above ground level to a survey.
Chimney surveys around Temple Bar
Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. If your home in Temple Bar is one of them, lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are part of the picture too. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them. Dr Johnson's House, about 0.2 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Temple Bar. On older houses around here, roofs often carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead.
If you live in an older home near Temple Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. Anyone responsible for a site like St Clement Danes CofE Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you own a rental within reach of City Thameslink station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant.
Temple Bar is about 1 mile south of St Pancras, in Greater London. We survey roofs in Temple Bar and the rest of Greater London. Temple Bar is one of the places in Greater London where we work.
Every address in WC2B, WC2E and EC1N is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your property is on Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square or anywhere close by, we can help. You’ll find Temple Bar on the A4 and A40, which makes it straightforward to reach. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Temple (1 mile south), Clare Market (1 mile west), Aldwych (1 mile west), Blackfriars (1 mile east) and Covent Garden (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Kensington (4 miles west), Walthamstow (6 miles north-east), Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Ruislip (13 miles west), Brompton (3 miles south-west) and Stockwell (3 miles south).
What’s near Temple Bar
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to British Library of Political and Economic Science, Mercers' School and London Nautical School. You’ll also find Lincoln's Inn Fields (under half a mile north-west) and Queen's Head Tavern (under half a mile north-east). There is a railway station in Temple Bar itself: City Thameslink station. Other landmarks nearby include Montfichet's Tower (0.5 miles east) and Twinings Museum (less than half a mile south-west). Not far away are Ludgate Hill and Barnsbury Wood.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney pots and cowls
On redundant flues, we check how the pots are capped. Capping without ventilation can trap moisture.
Lead flashings
Some older stacks have mortar fillets instead of lead. They tend to crack, so we look at them closely.
For landlords and managing agents
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work with less disruption.
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. Recommendations are set out by urgency where it matters, which helps when budgeting.
How it works
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. The visit normally takes about one to two hours for most houses, or half a day or so for a commercial building. In a London conversion, the way into the roof space is often from a communal landing or the top flat. 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 go through the chimneys, any damp and any work done on them.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- We photograph and record the pots, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations by email.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Gather any invoices or paperwork from past roof work
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the building owner or managing agent
How to book
For a price for chimney surveys in Temple Bar, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. The address, the type of property and what you need to know help us price the survey accurately.
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Questions from Temple Bar
I let a flat near City Thameslink station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, landlords and agents book with us as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or use the contact form and let us know about the building, including who will give access on the day.
Is parking a problem for a survey in Temple Bar?
Normally it is manageable with a little notice. Let us know what parking is available nearby, and the visit is planned around it.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. This is a survey of the roof only, so it’s not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
What happens after the survey?
You will receive the report by email, and what you do next is up to you: use it with a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent.
Should a redundant chimney be removed?
A redundant chimney needs looking after like any other. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it is capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Can you inspect my roof with a drone?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Whether we can fly on the day depends on the weather and the airspace rules, and we check for restrictions near airports before flying. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
Do you need to get into the loft?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. Inside, we look for damp, staining, gaps and sagging, as far as the space allows.
Useful tips for Temple Bar property owners
Here are a few things we’d tell any owner, before and after a survey:
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Check that disused chimneys can still breathe
Once we’ve been, the findings are written up with photos. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24 to 48 hours for Standard and the same day for Premium.
Make sure fixings on the stack are sound, and moved if they’re working it loose. Less load on the stack means less strain in wind.