The only thing worse than thinking you can clean your chimney yourself is hiring a non certified chimney sweep to do it for you on a budget. We completely understand wanting to cut costs, but if there is one thing you don’t want to skimp on, it’s cleaning your chimney. The safety of you and your family is not something to bargain with, so we suggest doing your research, and finding certified chimney sweep professionals you can trust. Let us share some red flags (and green flags) to look for when hiring certified chimney sweep professionals and also prove why you can trust us.

Red Flag: Bargain Pricing

If there is a company advertising a $99 cleaning, then it is a complete scam. You get what you pay for and chimney cleaning services are no exception. There is not a company (that we know of) that is willing to send a minimum of two certified chimney sweep professionals to a site for $99! Instead, they will send one unqualified person with little to no expertise. There is no such thing as one size fits all pricing.

Green Flag: Realistic Quote for Services

A credible chimney or fireplace company will quote you upfront at least $200-$300 for services. They will provide a comprehensive quote for the first visit and they will not add on a bunch of additional charges. Services will be outlined and quoted up front and you should never be charged later on for “additional services performed”.

Red Flag: Solo Certified Chimney Sweep On Site

Never, and we repeat, “never” accept only one person on site for chimney cleaning or roof inspection. You should be quoted, scheduled, and charged for at least two certified chimney sweep professionals on-site to perform services. This checks and balances structure is extremely important.

Green Flag: Two or More Chimney Sweep Professionals

A reputable company that you can trust, will send out at least two certified certified chimney sweep professionals who will perform a full analysis of the chimney and roof, top to bottom. They will have a system and process for the inspection and be able to give you a full report with details of their analysis.

Red Flag: Don’t Even Go On Your Roof

We hear way too many times… a company arrives on site and does not go on your roof. Sometimes, they do not even look at your chimney. We cannot stress enough how much of a red flag this is for the company! Going up on your roof to assess the roof itself and the chimney is the least they should do as part of their inspection. You should not have to ask them to personally inspect your chimney or go on your roof.

Green Flag: Look at Your Chimney & Roof

A certified certified chimney sweep professional that you can trust will, of course, go on your roof during the inspection. That might seem like common sense, but so many of the non-certified and non-professional people won’t because they cannot assume that liability. It’s a green flag when they discuss in your consultation actually going up on the roof and needing access to your roof and chimney.

We hope that you now have a better idea of the red flags to watch out for and the green flags to look for when hiring a company to take care of your chimney and roof. We work extremely hard to be trustworthy and fly those green flags high! Trust us with your chimney and roof inspections and give us a call today to schedule a visit from one of our certified chimney sweep professionals.