5 Things You Must Check Before Booking a Chimney Sweep

Chimney sweeping is an unregulated industry, but a dangerous chimney is potentially fatal. As your chimney gets older, problems that didn’t exist can start to occur – It’s important that the sweep has enough technical knowledge and experience to identify potential problems early.

But a chimney sweep? How on earth do you know if they’ve done a good job? You can’t see up your chimney (trust us, it’s true – don’t try it), therefore it’s impossible to assess whether or not the sweep has undertaken the work required – it is important to double-check these 5 items before scheduling a sweep.

What qualifications do they have?

They’re not mandatory, but having them shows a willingness to learn and verifies that the sweep has been independently examined and certified. They will also most likely take refresher courses on a regular basis to maintain their knowledge and abilities up to date. SweepSmart was one of the first NVQ-qualified chimney sweeps and we have achieved ‘Master Sweep’ within the Guild of Sweeps

Do they have many online reviews?

Sweeping can be a messy task so check out a company’s evaluations and testimonials. When buying anything the reviews are the first thing to check. You probably wouldn’t buy an important product from Amazon if there were no reviews, so why would you pick a chimney sweep with few reviews? Between Google and Which? We have over 500 five-star ratings, so you know what you’re getting is a high-quality service.

Is the correct insurance in place?

Accidents happen, and you need to be insured. Fortunately, we haven’t had to use it yet, but we have £5m comprehensive cover to guarantee you’re protected in the event of an incident.

Do they have the right experience?

As an unregulated industry, many chimney sweeps have had no training or just sweep on the side – but this does not mean that they’re bad. A full-time, qualified, and professional sweep will be able to check and inspect every aspect of the chimney. They’re better equipped to spot warning indications that indicate an item may be dangerous and pinpoint areas that require more inspection. We should know; we’ve been sweeping full-time since 2013!

While ignorance may be bliss in certain situations, it certainly isn’t when it comes to the health and safety of your family and home, which is why you should never take any chances with your fireplace or chimney.

Recognised Certificates

If everything is deemed safe after your chimney has been swept, the sweep should provide an insurance-accepted certificate. This protects you in case you ever need to file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance. Every functional chimney will receive a sweeping certificate from a member of the Guild of Master Sweeps.