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Chimney inspection checklist
A record of a chimney sweep and inspection. Record the appliance, fuel and flue, the sweeping method and debris removed, and the smoke draw test. Check the pot or cowl, stack, flue or liner, register plate, appliance seals, hearth and ventilation, with a detail box for each defect, and confirm there is a working carbon monoxide alarm. Record the outcome, whether a certificate was issued, the next sweep date and the customer's signature, with photos. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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What is checked when a chimney is swept and inspected?
This record covers the appliance, fuel and flue, the sweeping method and debris removed, and a smoke draw test. The inspection covers the pot or cowl, stack and flaunching, the flue or liner, register plate, appliance door seals, hearth and clearances, ventilation and whether there is a working carbon monoxide alarm. The sweep records the outcome and when to sweep again. HETAS encourages sweeping at least twice a year when burning wood and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against HETAS: how to sweep a chimney (how often to sweep), HETAS: why do I have creosote in my chimney?, paragraph 2.34 of Approved Document J (carbon monoxide alarms with solid fuel appliances) and GOV.UK: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, guidance for landlords and tenants.
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Every question in the chimney inspection template
A chimney sweep and inspection record: appliance, fuel and flue, sweeping method, smoke test, condition checks, CO alarm, debris found, the next sweep date and the customer's signature. 3 sections and 52 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
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Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Client: the project's customer
- Site: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
Appliance and flue
- ProjectShort answerFills in from the project name
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Site*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Property locationShort answer
Mark it at the front door, as a record of the visit. Tap Mark current location on site. It saves the coordinates, a grid reference and the accuracy.
- Date swept*Date
- TimeTime
- Sweep name and HETAS or guild number*Short answer
- Appliance*Choose one
- Open fire
- Wood burning stove
- Multi-fuel stove
- Range cooker
- Oil appliance
- Gas fire
- Other
- Fuel burntChoose one
- Wood
- Smokeless fuel
- House coal
- Oil
- Gas
- Mixed
- FlueChoose one
- Masonry, unlined
- Masonry with liner
- Twin wall system
- Not known
- RoomShort answer
- GuidanceHETAS recommends sweeping at least twice a year when burning wood and at least once a year for smokeless fuel. How often depends on how much the appliance is used.
Sweep and checks
- Method*Tick all that apply
- Brush rods
- Power sweep
- Vacuum
- Debris removedChoose one
- Light
- Moderate
- Heavy
- Tar or glazed deposits
- CheckTar or glazed deposits are signs of creosote, which HETAS says acts as a highly flammable fuel in a chimney fire. Advise the customer on fuel and burning habits, such as burning wood with a moisture content of 20% or less, and consider specialist removal.Shown when “Debris removed” is “Tar or glazed deposits”
- Smoke draw test*Choose one
- Pass
- Fail
- WarningSmoke draw test failed. Do not use the appliance until the flue has been investigated and put right.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Pot, cowl or bird guardChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Pot, cowl or bird guard” is “Defect”
- Chimney stack and flaunchingChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Chimney stack and flaunching” is “Defect”
- Flue or liner conditionChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Flue or liner condition” is “Defect”
- Register plate or closure plateChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Register plate or closure plate” is “Defect”
- Appliance door seals and ropeChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Appliance door seals and rope” is “Defect”
- Hearth and clearances to combustiblesChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Hearth and clearances to combustibles” is “Defect”
- Measured clearance to the nearest combustible (mm)Number
From the appliance or flue pipe to the nearest combustible material, such as a timber beam or mantel. Use a tape, or measure from a square-on photo against a known size in the same plane. Measuring from a photo gives an estimate. The tool rounds to 10 mm.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Clearance the manufacturer's instructions give (mm)Number
From the appliance's installation instructions or data plate. The form does not set a figure.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Clearance checkWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckThe measured clearance is less than the figure in the appliance instructions. Record it as a defect and advise the customer. Check it with a tape before deciding the outcome.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Permanent air supply (ventilation)Choose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Permanent air supply (ventilation)” is “Defect”
- Checks OKWorked out by the form
- Defects foundWorked out by the form
- Not applicableWorked out by the form
- Is there a working carbon monoxide alarm in the room?Yes or No
- WarningAdvise the customer to fit a carbon monoxide alarm. Approved Document J says one should be fitted in the room when a new or replacement fixed solid fuel appliance is installed in a dwelling, and landlords must have one in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker.Shown when “Is there a working carbon monoxide alarm in the room?” is No
- Photos (pot, flue, appliance, debris)Photos
Certificate and sign-off
- Outcome*Choose one
- Safe to use
- Safe to use, work advised
- Do not use until put right
- Sweeping certificate issued?Yes or No
- CheckThis is a site record of the sweep and checks. It supports the sweeping certificate issued under the sweep's scheme (HETAS, NACS, the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps or APICS) and does not replace it.
- Recommended next sweepDate
- Months to the next sweep (about)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceThe next sweep is more than about 6 months away. HETAS encourages sweeping at least twice a year when burning wood.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Advice givenNotes
- Defects and actionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Action needed*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Low
- OwnerShort answer
- Due dateDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- PhotosPhotos
- Customer nameShort answer
- Customer signatureSignature
- Completed by*Short answer
- SignatureSignature
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A completed chimney inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Chimney inspection FAQs
How often should a chimney be swept?
HETAS encourages sweeping at least twice a year when burning wood and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels, and says it can also depend on how much the appliance is used. If you sweep twice a year, the second sweep should be after the peak of the heating season.
What if the smoke draw test fails?
The form warns not to use the appliance until the flue has been investigated and put right, and the outcome can be recorded as do not use. HETAS advises stopping use and calling a sweep if smoke comes back into the room.
Is a carbon monoxide alarm needed?
Approved Document J says a CO alarm should be fitted in the room when a new or replacement fixed solid fuel appliance is installed in a dwelling. Landlords must have one in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker. The form warns if there is no working alarm.
What about tar deposits?
HETAS says creosote acts as a highly flammable fuel in a chimney fire and builds up faster when wet wood is burnt, so it advises wood with a moisture content of 20% or less. The form flags tar or glazed deposits so you can advise the customer.
Can I issue a sweeping certificate?
The form records whether a sweeping certificate was issued. The completed record, with photos and the customer's signature, goes as a PDF or a link.
Who uses this?
Chimney sweeps, stove installers, landlords and housing teams with solid fuel appliances.
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Roof inspection report: safe access, coverings by area, flashings, chimneys, gutters and rooflights, the roof space, defects with priorities, costs and photos.
Periodic tenancy inspection: tenant's account, alarms and safety records, room by room condition, repairs with priorities.
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