Chimneys and parapets
No mid-feather was seen in the party stack from this loft. What does that gap not prove about the neighbour's flue?
Not the lack of a mid-feather, unseen from this loft, proves anything about the neighbour's flue. A mid-feather is the division between flues in the party stack. Not seeing it from this side means that division was not in the view. It does not prove the flues are joined. It does not prove the neighbour's flue is blocked, leaking or sound, and it does not describe their appliance. The survey records a limit of what this loft showed. Their flue stays undescribed.
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?
Party stacks can hold more than one flue, split by a withe that is easy to miss among soot and shadow. A look from one loft can show an opening you cannot divide, without showing what happens lower down or on the other side of the wall. The surveyor is not accusing next door. The surveyor is refusing to describe a division that was not there to be seen, and refusing to invent one for the sake of a tidy note.
If either house uses the stack, a competent installer or gas engineer deals with that appliance and its own flue. This report does not certify either flue, and it does not specify a lining because a mid-feather was not seen. A camera inspection is a different appointment, and it may need the neighbour's agreement where the flue is theirs. Until then the note remains a gap in the view, not a verdict on next door.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- From where in this loft did you look for the mid-feather?
- Did you see separate flue openings, or one sooted void you could not divide?
- Are you making any finding about the neighbour's flue or appliance?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the note as a division that was not seen, not as a failed flue next door.
- Do not line or alter a flue on the back of a view that did not certify it.
- If an appliance uses the stack, ask a competent installer or gas engineer about that appliance.
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 a missing mid-feather mean the two houses share one open flue?
No. Not seeing the division from this loft does not prove the flues are joined. It only shows the division was not in the view the surveyor had.
Can this report pass the neighbour's chimney as sound?
No. Their flue was not described. An unseen mid-feather in this loft is not a certificate for the stack on either side of the wall.