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Electrics and gas

Does a home survey prove a wood stove is safe because the flue looks lined?

No. A liner you can see at the fireplace or at the pot is not a sweep, a ventilation check or a certificate. Approved Document J covers combustion appliances and fuel storage when building work is done. The survey does not apply it as a pass. HSE’s gas pages are about gas, not a substitute for solid-fuel advice. Different fuels, different competences.

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?

The surveyor may see scorch marks, a missing air supply, an unsealed hearth or a flue that is clearly blocked. Those are reasons to say “not safe to use until checked”. They are not a reason to say it is safe. A HETAS or equivalent installer, not the survey firm, does that check. This page does not pretend one brand of registration is named in RICS as the only route.

Papers for installation and a recent sweep are what you ask the seller for. Missing papers are not, by themselves, a crack in the chimney. Condition of the stack remains the survey’s masonry comment. There is no RICS price for a stove test.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • What did you actually see: a liner, a stain, or only a stove in the room?
  • Are you saying it is safe? If you did not test it, do not.
  • Is the flue shared, as far as you could tell?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Ask the seller for installation and sweep papers.
  2. Do not light the stove as a test on the day you view.
  3. Instruct a competent solid-fuel installer if you need a safety view. Do not ask a gas engineer to sign for a wood burner unless they are competent for 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

Is a gas fire the same flue question?

No. Gas is Gas Safe. Solid fuel is a different competence. A clear chimney does not make a gas fire safe, and it does not make a stove safe.

Does a carbon monoxide alarm pass the stove?

No. An alarm is not a flue test.

Sources