Chimneys and parapets
What should you ask if a chimney stack was removed above the roof but the breast is still downstairs?
Ask how the roof was made good, and whether the breast is still carried. Taking the pots off and tiling over is a roofing detail. It does not by itself prove the breast below was supported or that the flue was vented. A home survey sees the ceiling line and the roof slope. It does not open the roof timbers to find every trimmer.
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 stack that stops in the loft, or is cut off at the slope, leaves a junction that must keep rain out. The usual failures are a poor tile patch, a dip where the stack was, and staining on the ceiling of the room below. Separately, a breast that remains is a load. If it was partly removed in a room, support is a building-regulations and structure question. Approved Document J is about combustion appliances, not a certificate that this patch is dry.
RICS surveys do not dismantle the patch. Ask the surveyor what they saw in the loft at that point, and ask your solicitor for any building-control note if a breast was taken out. Do not buy a new chimney quote for a stack that is already gone. Price the roof patch if that is what is leaking, and the support if the breast was altered.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Can you see the old stack position in the loft, or only a tiled patch outside?
- Is any breast partly missing in a room below?
- Is the flue still open into the loft?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not assume the roof is finished because the pots are gone.
- Look for a stain under that patch after rain before you discuss price.
- If a breast was removed, ask your solicitor about building regulations rather than asking the surveyor to approve the opening.
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 capped flue safe to forget?
An unused flue that is closed at the top and open nowhere can trap damp. The survey should say whether it saw a vent. It has not tested the flue.
Does removing pots remove the party-wall question?
If the stack is shared, what happens above the roof can still affect next door. GOV.UK’s party-wall guidance is for building owners. The survey does not serve the notices.