Chimneys and parapets
The report mentions a cracked pot next to a tilted cowl. Has a terminal guard that is loose been tested, or only named?
The loose terminal guard has only been named, not tested. A cracked pot and a tilted cowl are separate visual notes beside it. A terminal guard is the mesh or cage on the pot, and loose means the report saw it unsecured, not that anyone pulled the fixing or checked it would stay put. The survey has not decided the pot must come down, has not decided the cowl is failing, and has not load-tested the guard. The flue itself was not swept.
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 pot is the clay pipe at the top of the stack. A cowl sits on or over it to shed rain or steady the draught, and a tilt means it no longer sits square. A crack is a break in that clay. None of those notes tests the guard. The guard is mesh on the pot, and naming it as loose records the clip as it looked. The visit did not pull the fixing or decide the pot must come down.
Ask a roofing or chimney contractor to look at the pot, the cowl and the guard from proper access, and to say which of them actually needs refixing. Tell the solicitor the home survey named a loose terminal guard and did not test it. The note is not a specification and it is not a flue certificate. If the lender has the report, they have this visual paragraph only. Keep any sweep or camera survey of the flue as its own instruction.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the loose terminal guard only named from the view you had?
- Did you separate the cracked pot from the tilted cowl?
- Was the flue left untested when you named the guard?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the guard as named, not load-tested.
- Ask a chimney contractor to check pot, cowl and guard from proper access.
- Keep any flue inspection as a separate instruction.
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 tilted cowl mean the pot is cracked through?
No. A tilt is the cowl sitting out of square. A crack is a break in the clay pot beside it. The survey named both and did not link them as one failure. It did not decide how deep the crack runs, and it did not test the cowl. They stay two visual notes.
If the guard is only loose, can the pot be ignored?
No. A loose guard is one finding. The cracked pot and the tilted cowl are still in the same paragraph and were not repaired by naming the guard. The survey has not passed the pot. A contractor needs to see all three from the stack, not the guard alone.