Chimneys and parapets
Where a report pairs a stone kneeler with the parapet coping, what stays open about the parapet gutter behind it?
What stays open is the parapet gutter behind the coping, which a stone kneeler does not reveal. The report paired the kneeler with the coping it could see from the ground or a nearby window. It has not decided that the gutter is lined, clear or falling to an outlet. The kneeler is the stone that stops the coping at the verge. The coping is the cap on the parapet. The channel on the roof side of that wall stayed out of that view.
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 parapet hides a gutter on the inside face. Water should run in that channel to an outlet through the wall. If the channel is blocked or the lining has failed, water sits against the parapet and can show indoors far from the kneeler. The surveyor sees the coping stones, open joints and the kneeler's projection. Binoculars do not show the sole of the gutter. Pairing the two stones describes the skyline, not the hidden channel or the outlet.
Ask the solicitor whether the seller has had the parapet gutter cleared or relined. A roofer needs access onto the roof or a proper view over the coping. The home survey has not provided that and has not blamed the kneeler for any leak. Do not accept a repointed coping as proof the gutter behind it is sound. The open item is the channel the stones conceal.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much of the kneeler and the coping was in view?
- Does the report say the parapet gutter behind them was not seen?
- Was any outlet through the parapet visible?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave the parapet gutter as an open item.
- Ask when that channel was last cleared or relined.
- Do not treat a sound-looking kneeler as a dry gutter.
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
Can a damp patch below the parapet be pinned on the kneeler?
Not from this note. A damp patch shows moisture at a surface indoors or on the wall. The kneeler and coping were the stones in view. The gutter behind them was not inspected, so the path of the water has not been traced. Do not pick the kneeler as the cause without a look at the channel.
Is the coping included in the chimney stack?
Only if it is the chimney coping. A parapet coping runs along the wall, and the kneeler ends it at the verge. The report paired those stones. It did not inspect pots, flues or midfeathers. Keep this note on the parapet and the unseen gutter.