Chimneys and parapets
Soakers remain where a stack was taken down. Has the covering been opened to see if those soakers still hold water?
No. The covering has not been opened. Soakers left where a stack was removed are metal the survey could see, or infer, at the old chimney position. They were not peeled back. Boarding, felt or slates beneath them were not examined for a path that still lets water in. Redundant soakers can still work, can be split, or can sit over a hole that was never properly weathered. This visit did not water-test them and did not lift the covering. The report notes the leftover soakers. It has not decided they keep the rain out.
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?
When a stack comes down, the opening should be filled, the timbers checked and the slope weathered so it is continuous again. Soakers are the small metal pieces that used to dress the chimney into the tiles or slates. Left behind, they can mark an incomplete strip-out. Rain does not need a large hole. It needs a lap facing the wrong way or a nail hole in the metal. None of that is visible while the covering stays shut. The survey stopped at the surface detail.
Ask the seller for the invoice that says how the stack was removed and how the roof was made good. Your solicitor should see that paper beside the survey, which has not confirmed the work. A stain in the loft under this spot would matter, but a dry loft is not a test of the soakers. A roofer who can open the covering, or reach the detail safely, is how you learn whether they still hold water. This report has not opened them.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Can the old stack position be seen from the loft, or only from outside?
- Are the soakers described as redundant, or as part of a flashing that is still complete?
- Is there staining on the rafters under that spot, or was the loft limited too?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the soakers as an unopened detail, not as proved weatherings.
- Ask the seller for the stack-removal invoice and any guarantee.
- If this spot matters, have a roofer open or properly reach the covering.
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
Should leftover soakers always be stripped off?
Not on this evidence alone. They might still be the weathering, or they might be scrap over a patched hole. The survey has not opened the covering, so it has not chosen a repair. A roofer who can see the layers should decide whether they stay, are renewed, or come off when the slope is made good.
Does mortar smeared on the slope prove the old opening was filled?
No. Mortar, a piece of metal or a smear of sealant can sit on top of an incomplete fill. The survey did not open the covering to see the boards or the battens. Surface patches are not proof the old opening is closed and weathered. Ask for the invoice, and open the detail if doubt remains.