Chimneys and parapets
An open pot has no cowl and the fireplace below smells damp. Has the survey shown rain down the flue, or only that the pot is open?
Only that the pot is open. An open pot with no cowl can admit rain, and a damp smell at the fireplace fits a flue that might be wet, but the survey has not shown that rain did come down the flue. Smell is not a measurement, and no water test was carried out. The finding is a pot without a cowl. It does not prove a rain path, it does not time the smell, and it does not say the fireplace is unsafe. The inspection stopped at what could be seen at the pot and noticed in the room.
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?
Cowls and terminals are there to keep rain and birds out while letting the flue work. Without one, an open pot is a hole at the top of the chimney. That is a fair maintenance note. Linking it to rain that has already run down requires evidence the visit did not gather: water in the hearth, staining in a pattern down the flue, or a test. The survey should not be rewritten as if the rain had been watched entering.
A chimney contractor can fit an appropriate terminal and check the flue is clear. If the fireplace is used, that look belongs with the person who understands the appliance, not with a guess from the smell. Tell the solicitor the report shows an open pot, not a proved rain entry. The survey has not specified which cowl and has not tested the flue. Do not block the pot on a viewing to see if the smell fades. Closing it at random can be the wrong detail for a live fireplace.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you record an open pot, rather than rain you saw in the flue?
- What damp signs, if any, were in the hearth besides the smell?
- Is this pot serving a used fireplace or one that is disused?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the note as an open pot without a cowl.
- Ask a chimney contractor what terminal, if any, that pot needs.
- Do not tell the solicitor rain has been proved down the flue.
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 the hearth stones are damp, has rain been shown?
Damp stones show the hearth area is wet or has been wet. They do not, by themselves, show rain came down this open pot. The survey still has not traced that path. Asking about it again later still leaves this hearth point outside what the survey decided.
Would any cowl do, because the pot is open?
No. The survey has not chosen a cowl and has not checked what the flue serves. The right terminal depends on the appliance, and this visit did not decide it. The home survey itself did not pursue this terminal question any further than the visit.