Kent · London and the South East
Whitstable Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Whitstable, carried out by an experienced roof surveyor. You get a clear written report with photographs.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Flaunching that has broken away
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
About our chimney survey in Whitstable
If you’re buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photos and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It works alongside a RICS home survey, not instead of one. We are often asked to look into a chimney out of line and mortar washing out of the joints, on flaunching, lead flashings and chimney breasts.
In a town like Whitstable, most homes are houses whose owners look after their own roofs. Small faults, like a cracked ridge, a slipped tile or a blocked gutter, are cheaper to deal with early. A roof report gives you a list of what needs doing and how soon, whether you live in the house or let it. Photos show you exactly what was seen, even on parts you can’t reach yourself.
With the Standard Survey, you also get moisture detection, a structural check and a follow-up consultation. The Premium Survey goes further, with thermal imaging, drone inspection where it applies, structural analysis and an in-person consultation.
- Where
- Whitstable (CT5)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- Written, with photos, emailed to you
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What a chimney survey doesn’t cover
To be straight with you, there are limits to any roof survey:
- Whether a stack needs rebuilding on structural grounds
- Conditions inside walls
- Checks on boilers, fires or their flues
If you are not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer before you book. What our survey covers.
What this survey covers
- Chimney breasts
- Lead flashings
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Brick chimney stacks
- Flaunching
What we are asked to look at in Whitstable
The flaunching on top of a stack holds the pots in place and sheds water. Once it cracks, water gets in and frost makes the cracks bigger. In time, the pots can become loose.
Things that frequently lead to a survey include:
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- A stack that appears to lean
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Flaunching that has broken away
Take a building like The Whitstable School: a written record of a large roof helps plan work for the holidays rather than in term time.
Choosing a roof surveyor
- Their report turnaround times
- What insurance they carry
- Whether the price includes VAT
- How they’ll see the roof: from the ground, the loft, the roof or by drone
Rented homes, blocks and businesses
Letting agents often book on a landlord’s behalf, and the report can go to both. Access is agreed with the tenant ahead of time.
With a portfolio of properties, you can book surveys for several addresses. To discuss a number of properties, ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the addresses.
Can I check my roof myself?
What you can’t do safely is get up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way. That’s where a survey comes in.
Your own check is a good start, but it isn’t a survey. You won’t see flashings, valleys or the backs of chimneys properly from the ground, and those are details a survey looks at closely.
What we do, step by step
The visit has one job: to look at the chimney stack as closely as is safe and record what we find. Everything we note and photograph goes into the written report. It typically takes roughly 1–2 hours for most homes, a little longer where there are several stacks. A survey in Whitstable needs access inside and out, including the loft hatch and any rooms with damp. Mention gates, side passages and anything at the back. Weekday and weekend visits are available.
- We start by noting which stacks are in use, shared or causing concern.
- We check the roof around each stack, including the flashings.
- We look at the flaunching and pots on every stack.
- We note the brickwork, pointing and any sign of leaning.
- You receive a written report setting out what needs attention first.
Before the survey
- Have any questions written down, so nothing gets missed
- Leave a clear route to the loft
- If the roof is shared, arrange access with whoever manages the building
How to book
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The exact figure depends on the roof and the package, so ring 07833 053749 or email us with the details.
Advice
Practical tips
A few practical points come up again and again on our surveys. They’re worth knowing whatever the roof:
- Use the report as a baseline for future checks
- Photograph damp patches with the date
- Check your stacks from ground level after strong winds
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas appliances
You can send the report to roofers or builders for quotes. With the same list in front of each contractor, comparing quotes is simpler.
Have aerial and dish brackets on the stack checked and taken off if they’re no longer needed. Removing unused fixings takes strain off the brickwork.
What a chimney survey looks like in Whitstable
Whitstable is within about 1 mile of the coast, and being near the sea means more wind and salt than a roof inland would face. Salt is hard on nails, clips and metal flashings, and strong wind lifts anything already loose on a roof, while driving rain finds any gap. Older houses across Kent often have handmade clay or peg tiles, and many have tile-hung walls. Kent’s older buildings take in oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses as well. On roofs like these, good slates or tiles can outlast the nails, battens, lead and mortar around them.
Trees in and around Foxes Cross Bottom shed leaves that can end up in nearby gutters, so outlets and downpipes are worth watching. The streets around a church like Church of St John (Methodist) are often among the oldest in a place, and if you own one of the older houses nearby, its roof may have old fixings, lead flashings and chimneys that need a closer look.
Whitstable is about 6 miles north-west of Canterbury, in Kent. We cover Whitstable and the rest of Kent, as part of our work across London and the South East. Our area takes in places right across Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. Canterbury is in our area too.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: CT5. We offer chimney surveys to properties on High Street, Station Road and Cranleigh Gardens and the roads around them. Being close to the A299 and A2990, Whitstable is easy for us to reach for chimney surveys. We also cover the places around Whitstable: Tankerton (1 mile north-east), Chestfield (1 mile east), Swalecliffe (2 miles east), Radfall (2 miles south-east) and Yorkletts (2 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Canterbury (6 miles south-east), Margate (15 miles east), Sittingbourne (13 miles west), Faversham (7 miles west), Herne Bay (5 miles east) and Minster (11 miles north-west).
Around Whitstable
In Whitstable, that means homes and buildings near Foxes Cross Bottom, Whitstable Social Club pub and Whitstable Junior School and the streets around them. Whitstable has its own railway station: Whitstable station. A little further out are Whitstable and Tankerton Hospital (1 mile north-east) and Tankerton Castle (0.8 miles north). The countryside around Whitstable includes West Blean and Thornden Woods.
Places near Whitstable
Other services in Whitstable
Your questions about chimney surveys in Whitstable
Does a conservation area affect roof work in Whitstable?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it is worth checking before planning any.
Does being near the coast affect roofs in Whitstable?
Often, yes. Whitstable is within about 1 mile of the sea, and coastal roofs tend to see faster wear on metal parts and more wind lifting loose pieces.
Do you survey roofs on blocks of flats?
Yes, if whoever owns or manages the building agrees access. We check the parts we’re given access to, and the report makes that clear.
Do I need to be at home?
That depends on the survey. For inside areas and the roof space, someone has to give us access.
How many surveys have you done?
Over 20 years and more than 5,000 surveys, across London and South East England.
Will you walk on the roof?
Only where it is safe to do so. We inspect everything that’s safely in view: from ground level, from windows, from inside the loft space, from the roof where it’s safe and by drone where applicable. Anything we cannot see is noted in the report.
Is Whitstable in your area?
Yes. We carry out chimney surveys in Whitstable.