Hertfordshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in The Flints, Hertfordshire
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in The Flints, with photos and a written report.
- A chimney out of line
- Lifted or split lead flashings
- Mortar washing out of the joints
Landlords, agents and block managers in The Flints
For blocks of flats, a roof survey helps managing agents and residents’ management companies plan ahead. The report sets out what needs attention now and what can wait.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you get in touch and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Chimney survey in The Flints: what you get
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. We survey shared and party-wall stacks, flaunching and chimney breasts, and common reasons people get in touch are spalled or crumbling bricks and eroded joints in the brickwork.
Somewhere as small as The Flints, homes are frequently older cottages and farmhouses, with outbuildings and some newer houses. Older roofs may be clay tile, slate, stone or thatch, often with chimneys that have stood a long time. We report on whatever is safely visible, and thatch is a specialist material. Chimneys and lead flashings on old roofs frequently need the most attention.
The Standard Survey adds moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey adds thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- The Flints (SG5)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Monday to Sunday, daytime
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Useful tips for The Flints property owners
From years of surveys, a few habits stand out:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
- Make sure fixings on the stack are secure
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
After the visit, we write up the report with photographs of each stack. It explains the condition of each part of the stack and any damp inside. Basic reports arrive within 48 hours, Standard reports in 24 to 48 hours and Premium reports the same day.
Have worn pointing and cracked flaunching dealt with early. Small repairs now can save bigger work later.
What happens on the day
There is not much for you to do on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we’ll take it from there. The survey itself takes an hour or two for a house, with bigger or more complicated roofs taking longer. Rural addresses near The Flints can be hard to find from a postcode alone, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. After that, the survey runs as it would anywhere.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can be seen safely.
- Pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, the chimney breasts and the loft are checked for damp where there’s access.
- The report, with photographs and recommendations, is emailed to you.
Preparing for the visit
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Keep pets inside or away from the areas we’re looking at
- If it is not your property yet, arrange access through the agent
Getting a price
Chimney survey starts from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, and you can call 07833 053749 or send us an email to find out.
Read more
Honest limits
Some things cannot be seen without opening up the roof, so a survey has limits:
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Whether a gas appliance or its flue is safe
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we will recommend the right survey before booking. The full list of what we check.
What we look at
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
The Flints: your questions answered
I let a flat near Luton station. Can you check the roof?
Yes, that is a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and we can send the report to you or your agent.
Does a conservation area affect roof work in The Flints?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. The answer matters most when a change of material is on the cards.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: Monday to Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. If we only need the outside, we can agree that beforehand, but the loft and any rooms with damp need someone to let us in.
Will you photograph what you find?
Yes. Photos are part of every report.
Can you find out why my chimney breast is damp?
It can come from several places: water getting in at the top, through the brickwork or at the flashings, or moisture trapped in a stack with no ventilation. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause.
What does a chimney survey cover?
The whole stack, as far as it can be seen safely: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
How the survey changes by roof type
Chimney breasts and the loft
Damp patches on chimney breasts frequently point to a problem above. We look at them and at the stack in the loft where there’s safe access.
Flaunching
We often find flaunching that has cracked or broken away. It’s typically a modest repair when it is caught early.
Nearby places to The Flints
More services for The Flints
Chimney surveys around The Flints
Slate and clay tile are the usual coverings on older South East houses, with concrete tiles on many later estates, with flat-roofed extensions, dormers and garages common everywhere. Whatever the covering, it is often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first. Listing and conservation areas can both shape what roof work is allowed on an older home. Your council and Historic England’s list will tell you where you stand, before anyone quotes for re-roofing.
If you own a rental within reach of Luton station, a roof report helps you deal with small faults before they turn into a call from a tenant. Take an older house close to Church of St Mary Magdalene: old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. If you look after a building such as Offley Endowed Primary School, its roofs, gutters and any chimneys need the same checks as a house’s, just on a bigger scale.
The Flints is about 4 miles south-west of Hitchin, in Hertfordshire. If you are in The Flints, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: a call or an email, a price, then a date. We cover towns and villages across Hertfordshire, from the larger towns to small villages. Milton Keynes is in our area too.
Every address in SG5 is covered for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Great Offley (1 mile east), Temple End (2 miles east) and Ley Green (2 miles south-east). We also work in nearby towns like Hemel Hempstead (13 miles south), Stevenage (7 miles east), St Albans (12 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (11 miles south-east), Harpenden (8 miles south) and Hitchin (4 miles north-east).
Around The Flints
We work in homes and buildings around The Bull Public House and the streets around them. The closest station to The Flints is Luton station, about 4.1 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Ravensburgh Castle (2.7 miles north-west) and John Dony Field Centre (2.9 miles south-west). For a walk, there is Markham's Hill and Pegsdon Hills.
Can I check my roof myself?
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: pieces of tile or slate on the ground, a gap in the ridge or a lifted flashing are all worth noting. Do not go up yourself.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. You will not see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from ground level.