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How much does a chimney sweep cost in Cheshire?

In Cheshire, a chimney sweep price depends on the appliance, how the flue is reached and whether the visit is only a sweep. A flue clean and work to remove a chimney breast are different jobs, so name only the one you want.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

A sweep is a flue, not a rebuild

Ask a chimney sweep in Cheshire to clean a flue that serves a stove, an open fire or another solid-fuel appliance. The houses this guide starts from sit around Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and the visit is still defined by the appliance rather than by the street. This page does not print a figure, because we could not find two dated public sources that agree on one. What the guide does is separate a clean from the building jobs people sometimes book under the same word, such as a liner, a pot, or a breast taken out.

A sweep who works from inside the room is a different visit from a sweep who also has to reach the pot. A blocked flue, a nest, or a liner that has collapsed is a different visit again. Say which of those you think you have, and say that you might be wrong. The person who looks can then price the look, not a rebuild you did not ask for.

Registration, and what QuoteZila does not do

HETAS describes itself as a not-for-profit body that offers a competent person scheme for installers of biomass and solid fuel heating, and registration for retailers and chimney sweeps [S5]. That is their scheme, not a QuoteZila check. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. If you want a sweep who appears on the HETAS list, search that list yourself and ask the business which name they trade under.

A competent person scheme for installers is not the same sentence as a sweep of an existing flue. Installing a stove, altering a flue, and sweeping a flue are three briefs. Put only the one you want in the job, or you will be comparing unlike quotes.

Alarms in a home that is let

If you are a landlord in England, carbon monoxide alarms are a duty of their own, not a line on a sweep's invoice unless you have asked for that work. GOV.UK's guidance on the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules says that from 1 October 2022 relevant landlords must ensure a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers [S6]. The same guidance says a local authority can impose a fine of up to £5,000 if the landlord does not comply after being required to put the breach right [S6]. This page does not copy the guidance on where to place an alarm, and it does not tell a tenant or a landlord to fit one. A sweep's quote is about the flue. An alarm is a separate instruction if you want it priced at all.

Owner-occupiers are not that landlord rule. Do not read the fine across onto a house you live in yourself. That guidance is written for landlords and tenants.

Height, even when the job sounds short

HSE defines work at height as work in any place where, without precautions, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury, and it uses a fall through a fragile roof as an example [S3]. The work must be planned, supervised and done by competent people [S3]. HSE also says to avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so [S3]. For you, that means you do not climb to the pot to "save the sweep a visit", and this page will not describe how a brush, a rod or a ladder is used.

If the sweep says the pot has to be reached from outside, ask how they will do that and whether access is inside the price. The answer belongs in their method, not in a DIY note on this page.

HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

Paying for the visit

Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask before anyone comes to the door [S1]. A quote is a fixed price, and an estimate is only a rough guess [S1]. If a firm advertises no call-out charge, the Advertising Standards Authority says the claim is fair only when the customer is not charged for the journey, the initial diagnosis, or any other fee before the work is agreed [S4]. Ask the question in those words: is there any fee if I decide not to go ahead?

Try to get the price in writing from more than one sweep [S1]. Be wary if someone refuses to write it down [S1]. A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or is expected to do so within 30 days [S2]. Ask whether the figure you were given includes VAT.

If a deposit is demanded, Citizens Advice says not to agree more than 25% where a deposit cannot be avoided, and to get a receipt [S1]. A sweep is often a short visit, so a large sum in advance is a reason to pause and ask what that sum is for.

QuestionWhy it changes the visit
Which applianceOpen fire, stove, or something else
Sweep only, or a fault to investigateA clean is not a liner replacement
Inside the room, or also the potHeight and access may be a separate line [S3]
Any fee if you decline the workA no call-out claim has a specific meaning [S4]
VAT includedRegistration threshold is £90,000 [S2]
Breast removal or stack rebuildThat can be party wall work, not a sweep [S7]
Rented home and alarmsLandlord duty from 1 October 2022, fine up to £5,000 [S6]

What to say when you book

  • The fuel you burn, if you know it.
  • When the flue was last swept, if you know that, without guessing a date you do not have.
  • Whether smoke, smell or staining has shown, and in which room.
  • Whether anyone will need the roof. If you do not know, say you do not know.
  • Pets, and a parking note.
  • Your postcode.

Anyone in the UK can post or register. Because QuoteZila is new, how many sweeps reply depends on who has joined near you [QZ5].

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • Sweep the flue for a wood stove in a living room. Access is inside the house. Say whether a quote fee applies if the booking is only for advice.
  • Sweep an open fire before the heating season, and say in the quote if the pot also has to be checked from outside.
  • Look at a chimney that may need more than a sweep, and separate any building work from the sweeping price. Do not include breast removal unless you have said you want it.

When the job stops being a sweep

GOV.UK says the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is separate from planning permission and from building regulations approval [S7]. The building owner must give adjoining owners a party wall notice in the way the Act sets down [S7]. Work the guidance lists includes cutting into a party wall and removing chimney breasts from a party wall [S7]. If a contractor starts talking about taking a breast out, you are no longer comparing sweep prices. Stop and read that guidance. A timber fence is outside the garden-wall example on that page [S7], which is a reminder that not every boundary job is party wall work either. A flue clean is not a breast removal.

Reading sweep quotes

Compare the written lines, not the friendliness of the phone call. Citizens Advice says a price a lot lower than the others may mean the work is not the same work [S1]. Pay by card if you can, and avoid handing over the whole amount before the sweep has been [S1]. Check insurance yourself [S1]. QuoteZila does not.

Official pages

QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.

This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.

Book a sweep

Name the appliance and the town. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

Posting a job is not open yet

If the stack itself needs a roofer, start from the roofers page. Heating work sits with heating engineers. The roof repair cost guide is for a roof fault, not a flue clean. All services.

Questions about chimney sweeps

How much does a chimney sweep cost in Cheshire?

The appliance, the flue and whether anyone has to reach the pot all change the visit. Compare written quotes that name the same appliance and say whether the roof is involved. A sweep from inside the room is not the same booking as a visit that also works at the stack.

Is a sweep the same as removing a chimney breast?

No. Sweeping cleans a flue. Removing a breast is building work. GOV.UK includes removing chimney breasts from a party wall among work the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 can cover, and the owner must give a party wall notice in the way the Act sets down. Book a sweep only if a sweep is the job.

Do sweeps have to be on a register?

HETAS says it offers registration for chimney sweeps, and a competent person scheme for installers of biomass and solid fuel heating. QuoteZila does not look that register up for you. If a register matters for your appliance, search it yourself before you hire.

What about carbon monoxide alarms in a rented home?

GOV.UK guidance says that from 1 October 2022 a relevant landlord must ensure a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker, and that a local authority can impose a fine of up to £5,000 if the landlord does not comply after being required to put the breach right. A sweep is not that alarm fitting. This page does not tell anyone to install an alarm.

Will the sweep charge to come out?

Some traders charge for a quote, so ask before the visit. If an advert says there is no call-out charge, the Advertising Standards Authority says that is only fair when there is no charge for travel, the first look, or any other fee before you agree the work.

Does QuoteZila check chimney sweeps?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.

Can I post a sweep on QuoteZila?

Yes. Name the appliance, say if anyone needs to go on the roof, and add a Cheshire postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can quote. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work?.
  3. QZ5: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home honest-status callout.
  4. S1: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
  5. S2: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
  6. S3: Introduction to working at height safely, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/introduction.htm
  7. S4: Call-out charges, Advertising Standards Authority. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/call-out-charges.html
  8. S5: HETAS consumer home, HETAS. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.hetas.co.uk/
  9. S6: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarms-explanatory-booklet-for-landlords/the-smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarm-england-regulations-2015-qa-booklet-for-the-private-rented-sector-landlords-and-tenants
  10. S7: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-25. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance