Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in West Hampstead, Greater London
We carry out chimney surveys in West Hampstead and the rest of Greater London. We survey on any day of the week.
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Bricks with flaking faces
How a chimney survey works in West Hampstead
Each stack is looked at from the safest viewpoints available: the ground, nearby windows and higher points, and the loft space where it is safe. With our Premium Survey, a drone inspection is included where applicable. Where part of a stack cannot be seen, the report says so. Each defect is recorded with a photo and a plain description. If you’ve noticed a chimney out of line and spalled or crumbling bricks, we can find out what’s behind it.
Many London terraces have a butterfly roof, with two slopes meeting in a central valley gutter that drains to the rear. Hidden behind the parapet, that gutter can block or split without anyone seeing it. If your home in West Hampstead has one, it needs checking from somewhere that can actually see it.
Report times depend on the survey you book: Basic within 48 hours, Standard in 24–48 hours and Premium the same day.
- Place
- West Hampstead (NW3, NW6, NW2)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Price
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Take a torch and only step on boards or joists, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
What this survey cannot tell you
Our survey isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey, a structural engineer’s report or an asbestos survey. It also has these limits:
- Whether the flue is safe to use
- Gas safety checks, which need a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Parts of the stack that can’t be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
If in doubt, phone 07833 053749 or email us and we’ll recommend the right survey before you book. The full list of what we check.
Roofs we survey in West Hampstead
- Brick chimney stacks
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
For landlords and managing agents
Where a roof is shared: access has to be agreed with whoever owns or manages the building. Mention it when you contact us and we’ll plan the survey around it.
Landlords and letting agents in West Hampstead book surveys as well as homeowners. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the chimney stack.
Your questions about chimney surveys in West Hampstead
Can a landlord with a rental near Finchley Road & Frognal station book a roof survey?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. Just call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the details, and we’ll talk through which survey suits.
Is my home in West Hampstead listed or in a conservation area?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. If a home is listed, changes that affect its special interest need listed building consent, and in a conservation area re-roofing in different materials may need permission.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. Our survey covers the outside of the stack and the roof around it. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it’s applicable. Flights depend on the weather on the day and airspace rules. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID.
Is it the same as a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey?
No. Our survey is a roof survey, not a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey of the whole building. It focuses on the roof and can sit alongside a RICS survey.
Do you inspect shared chimneys?
Yes. Shared stacks are common on terraced and semi-detached houses. We record the stack as far as we can see it and flag anything on the neighbour’s side.
Can you survey a shared roof?
Yes. Shared roofs just need a little more planning, with the freeholder or managing agent. Mention it when you get in touch and we will plan the survey around it.
Local roofs in West Hampstead
About 0.5 miles north-east lies Fenton House, a reminder of how long the area around West Hampstead has been built on. 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. Many homes in inner London are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, frequently with Welsh slate roofs. Behind many of their parapets sit butterfly roofs and valley gutters that can’t be seen from the pavement. If your home in West Hampstead is one of them, lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are part of the picture too. Whichever you have, the details that tend to fail before the covering itself get the closest look.
Landlords with a home close to Finchley Road & Frognal station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at. For businesses in and around places such as O2 Centre, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak. Trees in and around Kilburn Grange Park shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, and blocked gutters overflow and soak walls.
West Hampstead is about 3 miles north-west of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Roofs in West Hampstead get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Greater London. We cover towns and villages across Greater London, large and small. Our London page covers surveys nearby.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: NW3, NW6 and NW2. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Mill Lane, Acol Road and Ajax Road and the roads around them. Main roads around West Hampstead include the A502. Nearby, we also carry out chimney surveys in Fortune Green (1 mile west), Hampstead (1 mile east), Greenhill (1 mile east), Childs Hill (1 mile north-west) and Vale of Health (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cover London (6 miles south-east), City of Westminster (3 miles south-east), Marylebone (3 miles south-east), Kensington (4 miles south), St Pancras (4 miles south-east) and Shoreditch (5 miles east).
Landmarks near West Hampstead
In West Hampstead, that means homes and buildings near South Hampstead High School, Holly Bush pub and Kilburn Grange Park, among other places. There’s a railway station in West Hampstead itself: Finchley Road & Frognal station. A little further out are Isokon Gallery (1.2 miles east) and New End Hospital (0.5 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Parliament Hill and Westbere Copse.
What we do, step by step
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings in a report with photographs, sent to you by email. As for time on site, most surveys take roughly 1–2 hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. In a London area like West Hampstead, the main things to sort out are parking and access: let us know about parking, the floor the property is on, any shared entrance and loft access. We then look at whatever is safely visible from the ground, windows, the loft and, where it is safe, the roof itself.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there is safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a written report with photographs and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- Have any paperwork from past roof work to hand
- Unlock side gates and any roof access doors
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
Book a survey
We survey roofs on any day of the week. To find a date that works for you, ring 07833 053749 or email us.
Read more
Tips that help
Getting the most from a chimney survey starts before we arrive and carries on afterwards. Some tips:
- Check your stacks from the ground after strong winds
- Have brackets on the chimney checked
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Leave close inspection to people with safe access
The report is emailed to you, ready to share with a roofer or builder. We use plain English and a photo for each defect so anyone reading it can see what we saw.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked, and moved if they’re working it loose. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What we look for on each type of roof
Brick stacks
Spalled bricks, where the face has flaked off, are a sign of water and frost. We record any we can see.
Lead flashings
Mortar fillets are sometimes used where lead would typically be. They crack with age, and we check them too.