HOW TO HIRE · CLEANING

How to hire a chimney sweep in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to chimney sweeps. Ask for a draw test and a dated certificate; check the smoke control rules for your fuel.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a chimney sweep in five steps

  1. Let the fire go outCold the night before.
  2. Open fire or stove?And lined or unlined flue.
  3. Ask for a draw testAfter sweeping.
  4. Get a certificateDated, for your records.
  5. Check smoke control statusWith your council.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses chimney sweeps in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so chimney sweeping can be offered by anyone; trader status, insurance and references carry the weight.

Ask for a business name, an invoice for the chimney sweeping and the name of the insurer.

Smoke control areas

Your council sets smoke control areas, where smoke may not be released from a chimney and wood can only be burned in a Defra-exempt appliance using the fuels its maker allows. A sweep can tell you what your appliance is designed for.

Ask your council whether you are in a smoke control area, and the sweep what your stove or fire is approved to burn. gov.uk →

Soot is waste

Soot taken away is waste. In England and Wales section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires you to hand household waste only to an authorised person, and a business carrying it needs waste carrier registration.

Ask the chimney sweep whether they take the soot and, if so, their waste carrier number. gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No register requires it, but public liability insurance is what pays if chimney sweeping damages a floor, a fabric or a fitting. Your right to reasonable care and skill in the chimney sweeping comes from the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Ask the chimney sweep who the insurer is before the chimney sweeping.

VAT

Sweeping a chimney is standard-rated at 20%. A sweeping business taking over £90,000 a year has to register, add the 20% to each flue swept and show it separately on the sweeping certificate's invoice.

Ask whether the sweep has a VAT number; if so, the 20% should be printed apart from the flue price. gov.uk →

“Will you do a smoke draw test after the chimney sweeping?”

A good answer: Yes, every time.

“Do you issue a dated chimney certificate of sweeping?”

A good answer: Yes.

“How will the chimney sweep keep soot out of the room?”

A good answer: Sheets and an industrial vacuum.

“How often should this chimney be swept by a chimney sweep?”

A good answer: An answer based on the fuel and appliance.

“Can my stove burn wood here?”

A good answer: Check smoke control status; they tell you what the stove is approved for.

“Are you insured if soot damages the room?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Price per flue
  • Draw test included
  • Certificate of sweeping
  • Extra flues on the same visit
  • Who actually attends to sweep, and whether the sweep is employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as its own line next to the price per flue

Walk away if

  • No draw test
  • No certificate
  • Soot left in the room
  • Pushes a liner without showing why
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£105
HIGH
£150

What a chimney sweep costs: £60–£150 per visit

Chimney sweeping is priced per visit, with extra flues cheaper on the same visit. Chimney Sweep price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Chimney sweeps near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Protect the roomSheets and a vacuum set up.
  2. SweepRods and brushes or a power sweep.
  3. ClearSoot removed and the hearth cleaned.
  4. Draw testSmoke drawn up the chimney.
  5. CertificateDated certificate issued.

Flue
The passage that carries smoke up the chimney.
Draw test
A check that smoke rises up the chimney.
Certificate of sweeping
A dated record that the flue was swept.
Smoke control area
Where smoke from chimneys is restricted.
Exempt appliance
A Defra-approved stove that may burn wood in a smoke control area.
Flue liner
A liner inside the chimney.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the certificateDated, with your home papers.
Diarise the next sweepBefore the next heating season.
Burn the right fuelEspecially in a smoke control area.
Review it honestlyYour review of the chimney sweeping is tied to a real booking. Under four stars, you can send the problem with the chimney sweeping to the chimney sweep first and we follow it up; then the review goes live.

STEP 1Go back to the chimney sweepGive the chimney sweep a clear written account and a fair deadline. The law treats the chimney sweeping as a service that had to be done with reasonable care and skill, and where it was not, the trader must redo it at their expense or refund part of what you paid.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the chimney sweep gets the chance to put the chimney sweeping right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the chimney sweep and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the chimney sweeping, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring a chimney sweep: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies in any UK nation.

You may burn only authorised fuel unless your appliance is Defra-exempt, and must not release smoke from the chimney.

Ask about public liability insurance.

£60–£150 per visit, about £105 on average. There is more in the chimney sweep price guide; enter a town above to see sweeps who work there.

A dated certificate of sweeping for your records.

About an hour per flue.

MORE GUIDES

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Chimney sweeps near you

Chimney sweeps in LondonChimney sweeps in ManchesterChimney sweeps in BirminghamChimney sweeps in GlasgowChimney sweeps in BelfastAll chimney sweeps on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — smoke control areas: the rules
  2. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  3. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  6. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  7. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register