Damp and moisture meters
Can the chimney breast be damp inside the loft even when the pots look sound from the ground?
Yes, the breast in the loft can be stained by rain at the stack or the flashing, or by moisture in the flue, while the pots still look upright from the street. That loft stain is separate from the condition of the pots. The survey records what it could see, and it does not sweep the flue.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
From the ground, pots and a straight stack tell you very little about the brickwork in the loft. Flashings, soakers and a cracked back gutter can wet the breast below the roof line and leave the pots untouched. An unused flue can also bring moist air that marks the breast inside the loft only. Salts on a breast in a bedroom are a different note again. This question is the staining you find when you look beside the stack in the roof void, not a theory about rising damp from the ground.
Loft access has to be safe. If the surveyor could not get near the breast because of stored goods or the height of the hatch, the breast was not inspected and the pots do not fill that gap. A home survey does not guarantee concealed flashings and does not camera the flue. Do not repoint the pots and call the loft stain cured, and do not inject a damp-proof course at the hearth because the loft brick is marked. Ask which part was actually seen: pots, flashings, or the breast in the loft.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see the breast in the loft, or only the pots from the ground?
- Is the staining in the loft, in a room, or both?
- Were the flashings seen, or hidden from your viewpoint?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not clear the loft breast because the pots look straight.
- If the loft breast was not reached, leave it as not inspected.
- Keep a bedroom salt stain and a loft stain as separate notes until someone links them.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a capped pot stop loft damp?
A cap changes rain entry at the top. It does not repair a flashing at the roof line. The survey should say which was seen.
Is a removed stack in the loft the same stain?
No. A removed stack leaves a scar and sometimes open brick. Ask about that alteration separately from pots that are still there.