Greater London · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Widmore, Greater London
Chimney surveys for homes and businesses in Widmore. We have completed more than 5,000 surveys across London and the South East.
- Staining on walls around the chimney
- Bricks with flaking faces
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
Chimney survey in Widmore
On terraced and semi-detached houses, a chimney stack is frequently shared with next door. We inspect the parts we can see safely and the parts the owner gives us access to. If a defect appears to be on the neighbour’s side, we note it, so you can talk to them. You get a written report with photos and our recommendations. If you’ve noticed unused flues sealed without airflow and a chimney out of line, a survey will tell you what’s going on, whatever the roof.
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 Widmore, as across London, that’s why a roof needs a careful look rather than a glance from the street. Shared chimney stacks and the lead around them are just as important to check.
Findings are set out part by part, from the main slopes down to the gutters and outlets, with a note and a photo for each point. You will see the good as well as the bad.
- Location
- Widmore (BR1, BR2, BR7)
- Region
- Greater London
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Your report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays and weekends
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Can I check my roof myself?
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and a fall can be serious. That’s where a survey comes in, using safe viewpoints and a drone where applicable.
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry and it will help the survey.
Landlords, agents and block managers in Widmore
We also survey roofs for businesses and commercial landlords. Larger roofs take longer, so they’re priced to suit.
Roof problems in a rented home affect tenants as well as the building. A survey shows what needs attention, so you can plan the work.
Local roofs in Widmore
Bromley Palace, about 1.1 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Widmore. 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. Further from the centre, London’s housing takes in interwar semis with hipped roofs in clay or concrete tiles as well as slate-roofed terraces. Hips, bay roofs and later loft conversions are typical of those semis, if your home is one of them. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first.
For site and facilities teams at buildings like Bullers Wood School for Boys, large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. If you live in an older home near Church of St George, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs. Living close to Jubilee Country Park is pleasant, but mature trees mean leaves in gutters and valleys each autumn, and an overflowing gutter soon means a wet wall.
Widmore is about 1 mile east of Bromley, in Greater London. If you’re in Widmore, booking works exactly as it does anywhere else: get in touch, agree the price and pick a day. Widmore is one of the places in Greater London where we work for chimney surveys. There is also a page for London.
Here we cover the BR1, BR2 and BR7 postcode area for chimney surveys. Local streets include Golf Road, The Avenue and Canon Road, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for chimney surveys include Bickley (1 mile north), Elmstead (1 mile north), Chislehurst (1 mile north-east), Bromley (1 mile west) and Sundridge (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover London (9 miles north-west), City of Westminster (12 miles north-west), Marylebone (12 miles north-west), Kensington (13 miles north-west), St Pancras (11 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north-west).
Around Widmore
We work in homes and buildings around Bird In Hand Public House, St George's and Jubilee Country Park, among other places. There is a railway station in Widmore itself: Bickley station. Well-known places in the area include Bridgeways Day Hospital (1 mile south) and The Mall (1.3 miles west). The countryside around Widmore includes Summer Hill and The Tarn.
Your questions about chimney surveys in Widmore
Can a landlord with a rental near Bickley station book a roof survey?
Yes. We survey roofs for landlords, letting agents and managing agents as well as owners. You can call 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you need.
How do I find out if my home in Widmore is listed?
The council and Historic England’s list are the places to check. It’s worth checking before planning roof work, as both can affect what’s allowed.
Does the report include photos?
Yes, every report has them. Pictures sit next to the findings they show, which makes the report easy to follow.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it’s safe. Most of what we need can be seen from safe viewpoints, the loft and, where applicable, a drone.
Which parts of the chimney do you look at?
We check the pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings. Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access. Everything is written up with photos.
Is a chimney survey the same as a flue inspection?
No. We survey the stack and its weathering, not the flue. For the flue, you’ll need a sweep or, for gas, a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do you look in the roof space?
If it’s needed and safe to reach, yes. We look for staining, damp, daylight and signs of movement, as far as the space allows.
How the survey changes by roof type
Brick stacks
Most chimney stacks are built of brick, with mortar joints that wear over time. The survey looks for crumbling bricks and worn or missing mortar.
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. We photograph any we find that look loose or damaged.
The survey, step by step
Every roof is different, but as a rough guide the survey takes between one and two hours on an ordinary house; commercial roofs usually need 3–4 hours. You’re welcome to ask questions while we are there. In converted houses and mansion blocks, the loft hatch is often on a shared landing. If that applies to your building, it helps to agree access with the neighbours or the managing agent first. Otherwise, the visit in Widmore runs like any other.
- We start with the details: how many stacks, whether any are shared and any signs of damp.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- Every part we can see is looked at: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and flashings.
- Where there’s safe access, we check the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- We send a written report with photos, the defects found and what we recommend.
Before the survey
- Buyers: confirm access with the estate agent or seller
- Move anything stored under the loft hatch
- Note where any stains or damp appear
Arrange a survey
Once you know what you need, ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email. We’ll suggest a package, agree the price and find a date, weekday or weekend.
Advice
Honest limits
Our findings are based on what we can see safely on the day, so some things are outside what a survey can do:
- Structural calculations for a leaning stack
- The inside of the flue, which needs a sweep or flue specialist
- Parts of the stack that cannot be seen safely or belong to a neighbour we can’t access
Not sure which survey suits your roof? You can ring 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we’ll tell you. What a survey covers and does not.
Roof types and parts we check
- Brick chimney stacks
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Flaunching
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Shared and party-wall stacks
Why act early in Widmore
A loose pot or brick can fall from height. Finding them early means they can be dealt with before they come down by a roofer. Many older London roofs have only old felt under the slates, or no underlay at all, so once the slates or flashings let water past, little stops it reaching ceilings. Left unchecked, water soaks into timber and plaster and the damage spreads.
We offer three survey packages: the Basic Survey from £150, the Standard Survey from £250 and the Premium Survey from £400, all including VAT. The price for your roof depends on its size, access and what you want to find out.
Why book with us
- Weekday and weekend surveys
- An independent view of the roof
- 5,000+ surveys completed
- Customer satisfaction of 98%
See what a roof survey costs and two real surveys.