Chimneys and parapets
A new pot sits in old flaunching that is still cracked. Does the new pot retire the flaunching note?
No new pot sitting in old flaunching that is still cracked retires the flaunching note. The pot and the crown are separate parts. A fresh pot can stand in mortar that is already cracked or parted from the stack, and the crack remains the defect. A new pot does not re-form the flaunching, and a neat rim does not make failed mortar sound. The survey reads the crack that is still there. It does not certify the flue, and it does not treat the new pot as a finished chimney repair.
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?
Flaunching should shed water off the top of the stack and away from the pot. If it is cracked, water gets in beside the pot whether the pot is recent or long-standing. The age of the pot does not close the joint around it. A new pot looks like maintenance. The report is pointing at the mortar that maintenance left cracked. Keep the crack in view, not the newness of the clay or metal sitting in it.
Ask a chimney contractor to price new flaunching around the pot, and to say whether the pot is properly seated once that mortar is cut out. If the flue is in use, the appliance remains a matter for a competent installer or gas engineer. The new pot does not sign the installation off. A quotation that only says the pot was renewed has not answered the cracked flaunching the survey left open.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the new pot sitting in flaunching that is still cracked?
- Did replacing the pot include new flaunching, or was the old mortar left around it?
- Does the new pot change the flaunching note in any way?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the flaunching note open even though the pot itself is new.
- Ask for a price to re-form the flaunching, written separately from the pot.
- Do not let a receipt for a pot stand in for the cracked mortar around it.
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 the cracked mortar be ignored because the pot is new?
No. A new pot does not retire cracked flaunching. The mortar around the pot is still the defect, and the pot does not repair it.
Does the new pot certify the flue below?
No. The pot is only the terminal in view. The survey does not certify the flue, and a newer pot is not that certificate.