Chimneys and parapets
Can a chimney pot sit crooked while the brick stack is still upright?
Yes. The lean can be in the pot and its bedding while the brick courses stay plumb, which is not the same defect as a stack that leans. From the street the two are easy to mix up, so the survey should say which one it could see. A tilted pot is not a gas-safety record, and the survey has not tested any appliance in that 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?
A leaning stack takes the brick courses out of plumb, often from the roof up, and it is a structural comment about the masonry. A leaning pot is a terminal that has shifted in the crown. The bricks can be vertical. Photographs foreshorten both, so the report’s words matter more than a dramatic angle from the pavement. A home survey does not plumb the stack with instruments as standard. It records the impression from the available view, and it should be candid where the view was poor.
Resetting a pot is access and bedding. Rebuilding a leaning stack is a different order of work. There is no RICS price for either, and they should not be quoted as one item because a pot looks tipsy. Ask which flues are in the stack and which pot leans. If the flue is used, a competent person looks at the appliance separately. Approved Document J is not a substitute for that check, and a plumb stack does not make an appliance safe.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the pot leaning, the stack, or both?
- Which face did you see clearly?
- Is the flue in use?
What are the typical next steps?
- Use the survey’s distinction when you ask for a quote.
- Do not ask for a rebuilt stack because one pot is crooked.
- If the view was only from one side, say that the other side was not judged.
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 several pots lean while the stack is straight?
Yes. Each pot is its own terminal. One can move and the others stay.
Does a TV aerial pull a pot over?
An aerial is usually on the brick, not the pot. Do not merge a rusty bracket with a leaning pot unless both were seen.