Chimneys and parapets
A stove stands on a hearth that was not measured. Why is the installation not signed off by this visit?
The installation is not signed off because the hearth was not measured. The stove was seen standing on a hearth. Clearances, hearth construction and how the appliance meets the opening were not measured, so this visit cannot sign the installation off. A home survey does not commission a stove and does not replace an installer certificate. The report records an unmeasured hearth. It has not decided that the installation complies, and it has not decided that it fails a dimension.
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?
Hearths and distances around a stove exist so heat does not sit on a combustible floor. Without a measurement, the survey cannot apply that idea to this opening. The flue, the register plate and the ventilation were also not signed off by a tape that was never used. Seeing a stove in a fireplace is a visual note. Sign-off would be a measured check or an installer’s certificate, and neither is this report.
Ask the solicitor for any installer certificate, hearth drawing or notice for the stove, and keep it separate from the survey. A competent installer can measure the hearth and the clearances and can say what, if anything, is short. The survey has not done that measurement and has not instructed a replacement. Do not tell the lender the stove was passed because it was alight or present.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which parts of the hearth were hidden by the stove or a rug?
- Is there an installer certificate in the papers you hold?
- What should be measured before anyone treats the stove as signed off?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for any installer certificate for the stove.
- Have a competent installer measure the hearth and the clearances.
- Do not describe this visit as a sign-off of the installation.
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
Did this visit sweep or camera the flue?
No. The hearth was not measured, and the flue was not swept or camera-surveyed on this visit either. A stove in a fireplace does not prove the flue is clear, lined or shared with another room. Flue condition is outside the unmeasured hearth. The survey has not signed off the appliance or the chimney.
Is an unmeasured hearth the same finding as a failed stack?
No. The stack, if it was seen, is masonry above the roof. The hearth is the floor detail under the stove. This visit did not measure the hearth, so the installation is not signed off. That limit is not a verdict that the stack has failed. Keep the two parts separate when you read the report.