Chimneys and parapets
One stack serves two houses in a terrace and the pots lean. Can the survey tell you which neighbour must rebuild it?
No. The survey cannot tell you which neighbour must rebuild the stack. One stack serves two houses, and the pots lean, which is a condition note on shared masonry. Rebuilding duty sits in the titles, the party structure, and whatever was agreed between the owners. The inspection has not read those deeds. It has not apportioned the stack, and a lean does not name a payer. Party-wall law is about how certain work is notified and done. It is not a finding, already made in this report, of which neighbour must pay for a rebuild.
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?
Terrace stacks often sit on the party line and contain a flue for each house. Both owners may use it, and the pots can lean without the lean proving who neglected it. The surveyor can describe the lean, the flaunching and the flashings they could see from this side. They cannot decide a civil liability. A party-wall notice, if work goes ahead, is a procedure for the solicitor to explain. This home survey has not served a notice and has not split the cost.
Ask the solicitor to read both titles, as far as they can, and to say how the stack is owned and who must repair it. Show them the survey note that the pots lean, so the condition description is separate from liability. If rebuilding is likely, ask whether the party wall route applies before work starts. Do not write to the neighbour demanding they rebuild because this report said so. It did not. It said the stack is shared and the pots lean.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the stack shared by two houses, with leaning pots?
- Have you left ownership and the rebuilding duty unread?
- Did you stay on condition, without naming who must pay?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the lean as condition, not as a named neighbour's bill.
- Ask the solicitor who owns and repairs the shared stack.
- If work is planned, ask about the party-wall route separately.
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 only your pot leans, must the neighbour still be involved?
The survey still cannot pick who rebuilds. One leaning pot on a shared stack does not sever the stack into two private chimneys. The masonry is the shared structure the report described. Who pays, and who must be notified, is for the solicitor reading the titles and the party-wall position. A lean on your side is not a deed.
Can you strap only your half and leave the neighbour's pots?
The survey has not approved that. It cannot tell you which neighbour must rebuild, and it has not designed a strap to one half. The pots lean on a stack that serves two houses. Any restraint or rebuild can affect both sides. That is why the solicitor needs the titles, and why a one-sided fix is not already decided in the report.