According to the latest statistics available, there are over 25,000 Chimney Fires per year in the US that are responsible for over 125 million dollars in property damage.

This has caused many insurance companies to require annual cleaning and inspection of your chimney in order to keep ypur insurance in force. If your insurance is cancelled, your mortgage company has the right to pay for and add insurance to your property and raise your monthly mortgage payment. They can even foreclose on your home at their discretion.

Some insurance companies require the inspection, even if you never use your chimney. This is because birds and other critters next in your chimney. Also, every five years, you should have your chimney waterproofed. Some insurance companies require this to insure your chimney is not damaged, especially if you use your fireplace alot. You may want to review your homeowners policy or call your insurance company to verify. If you do not comply and you file a claim for a fire, you may not be compensated, resulting in a long drawn out fight with the insurance company. Don't let this happen to you. We recommend you have your chimeny inspected by a pro ever year in September or October. Every 5 years, you should have your chimney water proofed. If you use the same pro, or use wetcrow.com, we will remind you when you are due for waterproofing and cleaning / inspection.

During an annual chimney inspection, the chimney pro will inspect the inside of your chimney, as well as the flashing around your chimney on your roof. If you have a leak inside your home, you want to call your chimney pro to come out and fix the problem right away. Not all roofing pros install the flashing around your chimney properly, blaming the chimney pro if a problem arises. Make sure you have a clause in your roofing contract that protects you in case of a leak. let your chimney pro know to check for this on their first visit to your home for an inspection. When you purchase a home, make sure your home inspector checks for these type of things. Many do not, causing numerous problems for new home owners.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you have a chimney fire and lose your home and did not have an annual inspection, and your insurance company denies your claim, they will report this on your credut report and you will be unable to get another mortgasge until you pay off your first one. In addition, in some states, the money you owe the previous lender becomes a first lien on your new property. Some leders miss this and then get surprised when their lien on your new proeprty gets put in fron of your new loan. This is why underwriters check for this before approving a new mortgage. Most times they decline you or require you to pay off the previous loan. Don't let this happen to you.

If you do not have a chimney on your home, then you have no worries, but if you have a metal chimney, you have the same issues. If you have a fireplace, then you technically have a chimney.

Is it safe to use an unlined chimney? It does not matter what type of fuel you use, an unlined chimney is extremely dangerous. It's very important to call our team of experts to check things out before you light the first fire this winter.

Chimney lining can be expensive. But before you sweat over it, let our chimney experts check to see if you have a lining in your chimney and if it is safe. In most cases it is, however, if you bought your home from a do-it-your-selfer, then you may have a problem, since they may have done things incorrectly. If the seller gave you a copy of their last chimney inspection and it was within the last year, then you most likely will be fine. Always ask for that when purchasing a home. Don't let your real estate agent tell you to not worry about it. Insurance companies many times add an exclusion for chimney caused fires to cover themselves and warn you later when it is too late. Ask your insurance agent if any exclusions are in your new home policy. Yes. You can hold up using your new chimney, but sometimes your gas or oil furnace is vented through your chimney. This means a fire can occur and you may not be covered. Make sure you are covered insurance-wise, so you have no issues. It is up to you to properly protect yourself. When buying a home, ask the seller to provide a chimney inspection if the home has a chimney. This should be at their expense, not yours.

If the seller was good about taking care of their chimney and they gave you their last chimney inspection report, you may want to talk to their chimney expert and use them going forward. They can tell you if any problems need to be addressed. You don't want to be surprised when you need a $10,000 chimney repair when you just purchased a home in order to renew your insurance or get cancelled 90 days later and have an unexpected bill to stay insured.

We are not trying to scare you, but our CEO had an experience in buying a home in 1989 that had issues with a bad chimney, basement flooding every heavy rain storm, and other problems. The seller purchased a home about 1/2 mile away that did not have these problems. The realtor never disclosed these problems, although she knew the neighborhood had this problem. Never rely fully on real estate agents. Their goal is to make a commission. Yes, they are somewhat liable, but, who wants to spend the next 2 years in court to try to make it right? Spend time to find out all you can about a home you are about to purchase. Never use home inspectors recommended by the real estate agent. Go to town hall or county offices to find out any issues in the area you are purchasing. Even crime issues may be important. Do you ant to buy a home in a neighborhood that has break-ins every week?