Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in West Norwood, Greater London
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in West Norwood, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Redundant stacks capped without ventilation
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Worn or missing pointing
Chimney survey in West Norwood: what you get
Chimney stacks take more weather than almost any other part of a house. Over the years, the flaunching cracks, the pointing wears and flashings lift. Water then gets into the stack and can show as damp on a chimney breast or a stain in the loft. A survey finds these problems and records them with photos. We survey flaunching, shared and party-wall stacks and chimney breasts, and the problems we’re asked to look at most are worn or missing pointing and flashings pulling away from the stack.
London has Victorian and Edwardian terraces in almost every borough, frequently with slate roofs, chimney stacks shared with neighbours and gutters hidden behind parapets. Slates can last a century or more, but the nails holding them corrode, and slates slip. In West Norwood, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a proper look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
The written findings come by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Basic reports come within 48 hours, Standard within 24–48 hours and Premium on the day.
- Where
- West Norwood (SE19, SE27, SE21)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Appointments
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Prices for chimney surveys in West Norwood
Our packages start from £150, with VAT included. What you pay for your roof depends on:
- The height of the building and how the roof can safely be seen
- Whether it’s a home or a commercial building
- Extensions, dormers and garages with roofs of their own
- How big the roof is
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package matters as well. We’ll give you the figure before anything is booked.
Helping us price your survey
Before you get in touch, it is useful to have:
- The type of building and roof, such as pitched or flat
- Pictures from the garden or a window, if you have them
- The reason for the survey, such as buying, a leak or storm damage
- Any stains, drips or damp patches you’ve seen indoors
We survey roofs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
A DIY look is useful, but it is not a survey. From the ground, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are frequently out of sight, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What you cannot do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in.
How the survey changes by roof type
Flaunching
Sitting at the very top, flaunching is fully exposed. The survey checks for cracking and gaps around each pot.
Lead flashings
Flashings can lift in wind or pull out of their mortar joints. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
West Norwood: your questions answered
How do I find out if my home in West Norwood is listed?
Historic England’s list shows listed buildings, and the local council can tell you about conservation areas. Listed building consent is needed for changes that affect a listed building’s special interest, and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near West Norwood station?
Yes, that is a common request. Let us know whether a tenant or an agent will let us in, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
Is this an asbestos survey?
No. We don’t sample or test for asbestos. The report may flag materials that could contain asbestos on buildings built or refurbished before 2000.
How long will you be at the property?
It usually takes an hour or two at a typical home, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. We’ll confirm the timing as you book.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it applies and safe. We fly a sub-250g drone and we are a CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID). It is included in the Drone Roof Survey and, where it applies, the Premium Survey.
How quickly is the report sent?
The Premium Survey report comes the same day, the Standard within 24–48 hours and the Basic within 48 hours. All of them come by email.
What does a chimney survey cover?
Every part of the stack we can see from safe positions: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings. Leaning, unused stacks and damp on chimney breasts are recorded too.
West Norwood homes and their roofs
About 0.6 miles east lies Kingswood House, a reminder of how long the area around West Norwood has been built on. Period homes nearby can have lead valleys, tall chimneys and a patchwork of past repairs, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first. Close to the centre of London, a great many houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces, many of them roofed in Welsh slate. A butterfly roof with a central valley gutter, tucked behind a parapet wall, is common on these houses. Lead flashings, party-wall upstands and shared chimney stacks are typical of these houses, if yours is one of them. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for example near Centrale Croydon, a written record of the roof’s condition helps you plan maintenance rather than react to leaks. Homes near green spaces such as Long Meadow can get more leaves in their gutters in autumn, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. Landlords with a home close to West Norwood station may find that the gap between tenancies is a good time to have the roof looked at.
West Norwood is about 5 miles south of London, in Greater London. Anywhere in West Norwood, we can come and survey your property. Our area takes in places right across Greater London, large and small.
All of SE19, SE27 and SE21 is within our area for chimney surveys, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We offer chimney surveys to properties on Crown Lane, Dover Road and Moore Road. Main roads around West Norwood include the A214 and A215, which makes travel easy. We also cover the places around West Norwood: Norwood New Town (1 mile south), Gipsy Hill (1 mile south-east), Upper Norwood (1 mile south-east), West Dulwich (1 mile north-east) and Crystal Palace (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as London (5 miles north), City of Westminster (7 miles north), Marylebone (7 miles north), Kensington (7 miles north-west), St Pancras (7 miles north) and Shoreditch (7 miles north).
Near you in West Norwood
Around West Norwood, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Long Meadow, Norwood School and Hillcrest and the streets around them. The closest station to West Norwood is West Norwood station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. Nearby you will also find Centrale Croydon (3.5 miles south) and St Christopher's Hospice (1.6 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Dulwich Upper Wood and Battersea Park Lake.
Also near West Norwood
Also in West Norwood
Why act early in West Norwood
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a suitable contractor. In West Norwood, as in much of London, water from a roof defect can reach a neighbour’s home as easily as yours: failed flashings and blocked valley gutters can send water into more than one home. Finding it early keeps the work smaller.
We offer 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.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in West Norwood
- Drones and thermal imaging where it applies
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
- Plain-English reports with photos
- Insured for professional indemnity and public liability
What we do, step by step
Photographs are taken throughout the visit, so the report shows exactly what we saw. We take close-ups from wherever is safe. A typical visit takes about one to two hours for a house, while a commercial roof takes nearer three to four hours. In a London area like West Norwood, 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. On the day, the roof is looked at from the ground, from windows, from inside the loft space and from the roof where it’s safe.
- First we talk through the stacks, their history and any problems.
- We look at every stack from wherever it can safely be seen.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Dig out any old roof reports or invoices
- Point out any leaks or damp patches
Book a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It’s easiest to call 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We will talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
Useful tips for West Norwood property owners
You don’t need to be a roofer to help. Here’s what helps most:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Keep track of stains on chimney breasts
- Glance at the stacks from the street now and then
- File photos of the stacks with your home records
With a shared stack, the report can help when talking to next door. It shows what we found and where, as far as we could see.
Watch for damp or staining on chimney breasts. Early signs are easier to trace.