Chimneys and parapets
Should a haunched pot, seen beside a stack that leans, be treated as a verdict on whether the lean is in the photographs only?
No. A haunched pot beside a leaning stack is not a verdict that the lean is only in the photographs. Haunching is extra mortar shaped around the pot to throw water off the crown. The lean is a separate note that the stack does not look plumb. Mortar around a pot does not prove a camera trick, and it does not prove the brickwork has moved. The survey has not plumbed the stack, has not measured any lean, and has not decided the chimney is unsafe.
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?
Haunching builds mortar up against the pot so water does not pond at the clay. It is a weathering detail, not a measurement of the shaft. A real lean is the stack out of plumb, which has several possible causes, and a photograph looking up a corner can exaggerate it. Naming haunching and a lean together does not choose between movement and a lens effect. A plumb check would start that job, and this visit did not do one.
Tell the solicitor the haunching and the lean were recorded as two observations, and that the survey has not decided the lean is photographic. If the stack worries you, a chimney or structural specialist can check plumb from proper access. Do not ask the seller to rebuild the stack because a pot is haunched. The lender sees the same undecided note, not a measured lean and not a pass. Leave any taking-down of the stack off the back of this paragraph alone.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you treat the haunching and the lean as two separate notes?
- Was the stack left without a plumb measurement?
- Have you avoided calling the lean a camera effect?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat haunching as proof the lean is only photographic.
- Ask a specialist to check plumb if the stack is a real concern.
- Tell the solicitor the lean was not measured on this visit.
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 fresh haunching mean the stack was recently rebuilt straight?
No. New mortar around a pot shows work to the crown, not a rebuilt shaft. The lean note is separate and was not measured. Someone can haunch a pot on a stack that still leans. The survey has not dated the mortar and has not decided the brickwork was reset.
If the photos look worse than the visit, which one decides?
Neither, by itself. The survey recorded a lean and did not measure it, so a dramatic photo does not convict the stack and a flat photo does not clear it. Haunching is irrelevant to that argument. A plumb check is what was missing, and this report does not contain one.