Chimneys and parapets
A flexible flue liner hangs loose in the loft and does not appear to reach the pot. What connection at the top was not confirmed?
The connection at the top, between the liner and the pot, was not confirmed. A flexible flue liner hangs loose in the loft and does not appear to reach the pot, so the surveyor could not see it joined at the terminal. A liner that stops short is not a continuous flue. The report records the loose length and the apparent gap. It has not pulled the liner up, and it has not certified the flue. The unconfirmed item is the top connection. Until that joint is seen, the liner is not a finished flue to the pot.
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?
A flexible liner should run up to the pot and be connected there, so products go outside rather than into the loft. A length hanging loose is not that connection, as far as the eye can tell. The liner might be short, or it might be tucked out of sight. The survey did not confirm which, and it did not smoke-test the flue. Nothing in the note says an appliance was lit. A loose liner in the roof space is an incomplete flue, not a tidy coil of spare pipe.
Ask a competent chimney installer, matching whatever the liner was meant to serve, to confirm the top connection and to say whether the liner is short. Tell the solicitor the loft shows a loose liner that does not appear to reach the pot. Do not use the appliance. The survey has not certified the flue. The missing confirmation is the joint at the pot, which this visit did not make.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the liner hang loose and appear not to reach the pot?
- Was the top connection left unconfirmed?
- Was the flue left untested?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the top connection of the liner as unconfirmed.
- Ask a flue specialist to see whether it reaches the pot.
- Do not use the appliance on the strength of this report.
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
If the pot looks new, is the liner connected behind it?
A new-looking pot does not show the liner joint. The liner hangs loose in the loft and does not appear to reach the pot, so the top connection was not confirmed. The terminal outside can be a pot with nothing properly joined to it. The survey did not pull the liner or test the flue. The look of the pot is not that joint.
Can the liner be tied to a rafter and left there?
No. Fixing a liner to a rafter does not connect it to the pot. The unconfirmed item is that top connection, and the survey has not certified the flue. A loose length in the loft is the problem, not a storage issue. A specialist needs to see whether the liner reaches and how it should finish. A tie on the timber is not the joint.