Greater London · London and the South East
Upper Norwood 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 Upper Norwood.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Chimney survey in Upper Norwood
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 survey chimney pots and cowls, lead flashings and flaunching, and the problems we are asked to look at most are a chimney out of line and frost-damaged brickwork on the stack.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces are found right across London, 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 Upper Norwood are no exception. Lead flashings and shared chimney stacks on these houses need a proper look too.
Where we cannot see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. You will know exactly what was inspected and what wasn’t.
- Where
- Upper Norwood (SE19, SE27, SE21)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
Without opening up the roof, some things stay hidden, so a survey has limits:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can call 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and doesn’t.
What we look at
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
What we do, step by step
We look at the roof from outside and, where it’s relevant and there’s safe access, from inside the loft space too. Inside, we look for staining, damp, gaps and signs of movement. All in, the survey usually takes about 1–2 hours at a typical home, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Surveys in Upper Norwood can be booked for any day of the week. It helps if you can point us to a visitor permit or a nearby bay. A back bedroom window can be the best vantage point for a rear addition, so we may ask to use one.
- You let us know whether any stacks are shared, unused or leaning.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We check the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- The report explains the condition and which work is most urgent.
Before the survey
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Find any records of previous roof work
- Clear the way to the loft hatch
How to book
Not sure which survey you need? The easiest way is to call 07833 053749 or drop us an email and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will explain the options and the price.
Advice
How we price chimney surveys
Every roof is different, so prices are confirmed before booking. This is what makes a difference:
- The height of the building and how the roof can be seen safely
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- Roof area
- House, block, shop or office
Prices start from £150, including VAT. What you pay depends on the size and height of the roof, access and which survey you book.
Getting in touch
Getting the details right at the start saves time. It helps to include:
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- What kind of property and roof it is
- How the loft is reached, if there is one
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
You can call us seven days a week. To book or ask a question, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Upper Norwood
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords, from shops and offices to industrial units. Bigger roofs take more time.
Shared roofs need a little more planning: we need access agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Tell us about it as you book and we will plan the survey around it.
Places near Upper Norwood
What else we do in Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood: your questions answered
Is parking a problem for a survey in Upper Norwood?
London parking needs a little planning, so let us know about permits, bays or a driveway when booking. That way the visit can be planned around it.
How do I find out if my home in Upper Norwood is listed?
Check Historic England’s online list first, then ask the council about conservation areas and any Article 4 direction. It matters most if you’re planning to re-roof in a different material.
Do you use drones?
Where it helps and it is safe, yes. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules, including flight restriction zones near airports. We’re a CAA-registered drone operator.
What do I do with the report?
You receive the written report by email, with photographs and recommendations. You can use it to talk to a seller, an insurer, a roofer or a managing agent, whichever applies.
Do I have to be there for the survey?
Not always. An outside-only look can be arranged beforehand, but anything inside needs someone there to give access.
Do you survey on Saturdays and Sundays?
We survey seven days a week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Let us know which days suit you when you book.
Will you go up on the roof?
Only when it is safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone, and the report notes anything we couldn’t see.
DIY checks: what’s safe
If you have a loft with safe access, take a look inside. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, checking for stains, damp wood or chinks of daylight.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That is where a survey comes in.
What a chimney survey looks like in Upper Norwood
About 0.8 miles north lies Kingswood House, a reminder of how long the area around Upper Norwood has been built on. On older houses around here, roofs frequently carry the marks of earlier repairs, from replaced slates to new lead, and a listed home or one in a conservation area may need consent for changes of material. Inner London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have Welsh slate roofs. From the street you may see only a parapet, with a butterfly roof and a valley gutter behind it draining to the back. In a house like that, shared stacks, party-wall upstands and lead flashings all need looking at as far as they can be seen. Whatever the covering, it’s often the fixings, flashings, valleys and gutters that give out first.
If you live in an older home near Christ Church, corroded nails, tired lead and weathered chimney pointing are the things to watch on older roofs. If you let a flat or house near Gipsy Hill station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Upper Norwood is about 4 miles south-east of Stockwell, in Greater London. We cover Upper Norwood and the rest of Greater London, as part of our work across London and South East England. Our Greater London coverage includes Upper Norwood and the places around it. You can also see our page for London.
Chimney surveys in SE19, SE27 and SE21 are booked the same way as anywhere else. Streets in the area include Dover Road, Hawke Road and Tudor Road, and we cover them all. Main roads around Upper Norwood include the A214, so getting to you is simple. We also cover the places around Upper Norwood: Norwood New Town (1 mile west), Gipsy Hill (1 mile north-east), West Norwood (1 mile north-west), Crystal Palace (1 mile east) and Anerley (1 mile east). Within a short drive, we also cover London (6 miles north), City of Westminster (7 miles north-west), Marylebone (7 miles north), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (7 miles north) and Shoreditch (7 miles north).
What’s near Upper Norwood
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Sparrowhawk pub, Long Meadow and Rockmount Primary School and the streets around them. Upper Norwood has its own railway station: Gipsy Hill station. Other landmarks nearby include St Christopher's Hospice (1.3 miles east) and Crystal Palace Museum (0.5 miles east). The countryside around Upper Norwood includes Dulwich Upper Wood and Knight's Hill.
Do you need a chimney survey in Upper Norwood?
Chimney stacks stand above the roof, exposed to wind, rain and frost on every side. Frost opens up cracks in the mortar, and rain gets into worn bricks and joints. People usually call us when they notice damp or a problem with the stack, or before a purchase.
People usually book a survey when they’ve noticed something like this:
- Worn or missing pointing
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
Parking in Upper Norwood, as in most of London, takes a little planning: let us know about permits, visitor bays or off-street space when booking.
Before you book anyone
- Whether any drone flown is registered with the CAA
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Will the report include photos?
- Whether the loft is part of the inspection