Chimneys and parapets
A flexible liner hangs loose in the loft beside the stack. Has the survey proved the stove below is connected to it?
No loose flexible liner hanging in the loft beside the stack proves the stove below is connected to it. A liner that is not fixed into the flue and not seen entering the appliance is a liner out of place. The survey records that position. It does not trace a continuous flue from the stove to a terminal, and it does not certify the installation. Connection and jointing belong to a competent installer or gas engineer, which is a different appointment from this visual report.
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?
Flexible liners are meant to run inside the flue, from the appliance to a proper terminal, held so they do not sag into the loft. A length hanging beside the stack may be a leftover, a liner that has dropped, or one that was never connected. Looking at it does not say which. The stove in the room may have no flue at all, or a different joint the loft view did not include.
Do not ask the survey to pass the stove because a liner exists somewhere in the house. Ask a competent installer or gas engineer to confirm in writing what the appliance is joined to, whether this liner is the one in service, and where it ends. Until that writing exists, the hanging liner stays an unconnected observation. The report has described it. It has not signed the stove off.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the liner fixed into the stack, or only hanging loose beside it?
- Did you see any joint between that liner and the stove, or only the liner in the loft?
- Are you describing position, rather than certifying the appliance?
What are the typical next steps?
- Photograph the loose liner and the point at which it stops.
- Ask a competent installer or gas engineer to confirm what the stove is joined to.
- Do not treat the survey paragraph as an installation certificate.
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 a liner is somewhere in the loft, is the stove safe to light?
No. A liner hanging beside the stack is not a connection. Whether the stove may be lit is for a competent installer or gas engineer, not this report.
Does the survey certify the flue from the stove to the pot?
No. The visit records a liner that is loose in the loft. It does not trace or certify a continuous flue, and it does not sign the stove off.