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Buying or Selling a House With a Fireplace – What to Check
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Buying or Selling a House With a Fireplace – What to Check
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Home | Help & Advice | Buying or Selling a House With a Fireplace – What to Check

Buying or Selling a House With a Fireplace – What to Check

fireplace with logs buring

What to check when you are buying or selling a house with a fireplace

Everyone dreams of enjoying a warm hearth in their home, so if you are buying a house with a fireplace, or selling one, we’ve got a few tips for you. We’ll walk you through the most common chimney, flue and stove problems that those in the housing market often fail to check. Here’s how to buy or sell, safe in the knowledge that your fireplace is up to standard.

Have a professional inspection before buying or selling a house

Having a professional take a look at your chimney and fireplace is the only way to guarantee it’s working as it should. You can expect to have the flue, stack and pots assessed as well as the parts of the fireplace that you can see, such as tiling and grating. Mortar, bricks and any iron work will also be checked for damage or leaks, as well as blockages in parts of the fireplace that are blind to the naked eye.

Have a CCTV inspection before buying or selling a house

To get up close and personal with the internal workings of your fireplace, nothing can beat a CCTV inspection. With a long flexible pole, your inspector can view the state of the flue from inside the chimney itself. This means that all the mortar can be closely inspected and soot build up can be located and removed.

Be an extra good neighbour – make them aware of fireplace and chimney refurbishments

If you are planning major refurbishment work, you can offer the integrity and CCTV inspections to your adjoining neighbour, too. If they have functioning fireplaces in their home and use an adjacent flue, an inspection can rule out any existing damage as being caused by your refurbishment work, thereby saving you the hassle of paying damages for an already faulty fireplace next door.

If you have no cowls fitted to your chimney, refurbishment is also a good time to install these. Cowls not only avoid the issue of birds nesting inside your chimney or in the pots, they prevent birds from falling down into the room below and causing a mess in your (freshly decorated) room!  

What the law says about fireplaces and ‘fixtures and fittings’

Fireplaces can be categorised under the ‘fixtures and fittings’ element of a contract. Therefore, the fireplace should be in working order, unless otherwise stated. If the fireplace is presented as a functioning fireplace but is found to be in poor condition or even dangerous, you may have a liability problem.

Common faults in fireplaces to look out for when buying or selling a house

The most common faults found with fireplaces, both stove and open, are:

  • Obstruction of the flue, by soot buildup or wildlife
  • Brickwork issues
  • Cracks in the flue
  • Creosote buildup
  • Poor ventilation and downdrafts

Enviro Flame is a fireplace specialist and we supply customers with a selection of solid fuel stoves, as well as DEFRA approved stoves. Our team of skilled experts carry out a professional installation for you, ensuring safe functioning and a beautiful quality finish. For advice, or to discuss your requirements with one of our helpful team members, simply get in touch. We serve customers in and around London.

Enquire Online or give our friendly team a call on 0203 124 1588
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