Age and type of house
A wood burner in a thatched house sits on a hearth the surveyor could see, and the flue liner was not. What installation record is missing?
The installation record for the wood burner and its flue is missing from what this survey can show. The hearth was visible, and the flue liner was not. Seeing a stove on a hearth does not produce the paperwork for how it was fitted, and it does not show the liner in the flue. The report can describe the appliance and the hearth that were in view. It has not inspected the liner, and it has not found, or written, an installation record.
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?
In a thatched house the flue is the part that passes heat and sparks toward the roof. A liner, if one was put in, is inside the flue and was not seen from the hearth. An installation record would say who fitted the burner, what flue was used, and what was signed at the time. None of that was in the surveyor's view of the hearth. The note stops at what could be seen from the room.
Ask the solicitor for any installation paperwork, commissioning note or building-control trail that belongs to this burner, and keep it separate from the survey. A stove on a hearth is not that file. If the liner must be known, that is a flue inspection by someone who works on solid-fuel appliances, not a second look at the same hearth. Do not tell an insurer the liner was passed because the stove was photographed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What of the hearth and the burner did you see, and what of the liner did you not?
- Did any installation record come into your hands on the day?
- Are you describing the appliance rather than certifying the flue?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the hearth note as a limit, not as a flue certificate.
- Ask the solicitor for the installation paperwork on the wood burner.
- Arrange a flue inspection if the unseen liner must be described.
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 the hearth is stone and level, is the liner proved?
No. A level stone hearth is what was under the burner in the room. The flue liner was not seen, and no installation record was produced by looking at that slab. The survey has not followed the flue through the thatch. A tidy hearth does not stand in for the liner or for the missing paperwork.
Does a new stove mean the thatch is protected?
A newer stove shows a recent appliance, not a seen liner and not an installation record. The survey did not inspect the flue where it passes the thatch. Protection of the roof is not decided from the look of the stove. Keep the missing record as a gap until the papers or a flue inspection fill it.