Kent · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Westbere, Kent
A careful look at the chimney stack at your property in Westbere, with photos and a written report.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Frost-damaged brickwork on the stack
Why get it checked now?
If a stack seems to lean, don’t leave it. Our survey records it and says when a structural engineer should look at it, so you know where you stand. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Westbere, driving rain gets into any weakness, and damp in older walls is slow to dry out.
Larger roofs, taller buildings and commercial roofs take longer, so they’re priced to match. You will know the figure before booking.
Why book us in Westbere
- Over 20 years’ experience
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Prices that include VAT
- 5,000+ roofs surveyed
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced and what we found on two real jobs.
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Westbere
Damp on a chimney breast can have several causes. It might come in at the top, through worn pointing or porous bricks, or where the flashings meet the roof. Moisture trapped inside a stack with no ventilation can also cause damp. Our survey checks each of these and records the likely cause. You then know where to start. Typical surveys look at lifted or split lead flashings and damp patches on chimney breasts, on chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and flaunching.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, so ridges, chimney stacks, flashings and gutters work hard. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. On exposed older roofs, chimneys and lead flashings are often the first to give way.
You receive the findings by email, easy to pass on to a roofer, an agent or an insurer. Turnaround is within 48 hours for Basic, 24–48 hours for Standard and same day for Premium.
- Place
- Westbere (CT2)
- Region
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it works
You do not need to do much on the day. Show us any stains, drips or problem areas you know about, and we will get on with the inspection. The survey itself takes an hour or two on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. In a hamlet or village like Westbere, a postcode does not always lead to the right gate, so a few directions, or a note of a nearby landmark, help us arrive on time. The visit itself is the same as anywhere else.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- We inspect each stack from safe viewpoints outside.
- We check and photograph the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing and flashings.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- You get a written report with photos and our recommendations.
Preparing for the visit
- Leave side gates unlocked
- Make sure the loft hatch can be reached
- Keep pets in another room
Booking a survey
To book a survey, ring 07833 053749 or email us with the address and what you’d like to know about the roof. We will confirm the price before you book.
Read more
Practical tips
Nothing here needs a ladder. A few suggestions:
- Check with the council before altering a stack in a conservation area or on a listed building
- Note any damp on chimney breasts and when it appears
- Do not use a ladder to reach the stack yourself
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
If anything in the report isn’t clear, just ask us. Standard Surveys come with a follow-up consultation, and Premium Surveys with an in-person one.
Check your stacks from the street or garden after a storm. With binoculars, you can frequently see cracked flaunching or lifted lead.
Local roofs in Westbere
Westbere is within about 5 miles of the coast, so there is more wind and more salt in the air than further inland. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, and driving rain gets into whatever gap is left. Older buildings may be listed or sit in a conservation area. To find out, check Historic England’s list and ask the council about conservation areas. Re-roofing in different materials may need permission there.
Landlords with a home close to Sturry station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. The streets around a church such as Church of All Saints are often among the oldest in a place, and if your home is one of the older ones nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Westbere is about 3 miles north-east of Canterbury, in Kent. Roofs in Westbere get the same thorough look as anywhere else in Kent. Westbere is one of the towns and villages in Kent where we work.
Chimney surveys in CT2 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. You’ll find streets such as Island Road, Pennington Close and Bushy Hill Road, and we cover them all. Other places close to Westbere include Hersden (1 mile north-east), Sturry (1 mile west), Calcott (2 miles north-west), Broad Oak (2 miles west) and Stodmarsh (2 miles east). Within a short drive, we also cover Canterbury (3 miles south-west), Margate (11 miles north-east), Dover (14 miles south-east), Ramsgate (12 miles east), Broadstairs (13 miles east) and Whitstable (6 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Westbere
Around Westbere, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Hersden Village Primary School, Ye Olde Yew Tree Inn and Frank Montgomery School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Sturry station, roughly 1.2 miles south-west. A little further out are Canterbury Castle (3.9 miles south-west) and Canterbury Roman Museum (3.5 miles south-west). For a walk, there is West Blean and Thornden Woods.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Westbere
Letting agents and landlords in Westbere book surveys as well as homeowners. A written report with photos gives you a clear record of the chimney stack, useful for planning maintenance.
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Westbere. For a price for a let property or a block, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email.
Common questions in Westbere
Is Westbere within the area you cover?
Yes, Westbere is on our map. A small place gets exactly the same survey as a big one, with the route planned beforehand.
How do I find out if my home in Westbere is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. Both listing and conservation areas can limit changes of roofing material.
Is this a RICS survey?
No. We check the roof, not the whole building, and it isn’t a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. Many buyers have both.
What do you check on a chimney?
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.
What if it rains on the day?
It depends on the weather and the survey. In high wind or heavy rain, a drone can’t fly and access may not be safe, and we’d agree another day.
My chimney looks like it’s leaning. What should I do?
Don’t ignore it. Leaning frequently comes from mortar breaking down unevenly. We record its condition with photos, and a structural engineer can confirm whether it is stable.
How long will you be at the property?
It typically takes about one to two hours at a house, as part of a look at the roof around the stack. We’ll confirm the timing as you book.
Should I look at the roof myself first?
After strong wind, take a look from the pavement or garden: broken slates or tiles in the garden, gaps along the ridge or loose lead are signs to note. Do not go up yourself.
A DIY look is useful, but it isn’t a survey. From ground level, valleys, flashings and the backs of chimneys are often out of sight.
Places near Westbere
More services for Westbere
Signs you need a chimney survey in Westbere
Many chimneys are no longer used. If a stack is capped or blocked without ventilation, moisture can build up inside. Damp patches can appear on chimney breasts even when nothing is leaking.
A survey can pick up problems like:
- Eroded joints in the brickwork
- Cracked or missing flaunching
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
If you look after a shop, office or commercial unit, for instance near Whitefriars Shopping Centre, a roof report helps plan work around trading rather than after a leak.
Before booking any roof surveyor
- How long the report takes to arrive
- Their track record with similar roofs
- Whether they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance
- Will the report include photos?