Please read before booking a chimney sweep, inspection, cowl installation, or any other service with The Chimney Chaps Melbourne. By booking through any channel (this website, phone, SMS, email, or in person), you accept these terms in full, whether or not you have read them.
1. Who we are
The Chimney Chaps Melbourne (“we”, “us”, “The Chimney Chaps”) is a chimney sweep and repair business based in Melbourne, Victoria. We are ABN registered and carry public liability insurance for the work we perform.
2. Services we provide
Chimney and flue sweeping, wood heater and open fireplace cleaning, chimney inspections, cowl and damper supply and installation, minor mortar and rendering work, blocked flue clearance, and related consultation.
3. Pre-existing condition of the chimney
Chimneys, flues and their surrounding brickwork are structural elements of your property, often built decades ago. Over time, pre-existing conditions frequently develop, including but not limited to:
- Mortar decay, cracking and joint failure
- Brick spalling, cracking, hollow bricks and loose bricks
- Cracked or deteriorated flue liners
- Rusted, corroded or perished metal caps, flashings and cowls
- Loose, cracked or perished internal render, cement wash or crown
- Rotted timber lintels, blocked or crushed flueways, and old poor-quality repair work
- Bird nests, rodent damage, water ingress and creosote build-up
Many of these conditions are hidden from view until work commences.
4. Inherent risks of chimney work
Chimney work involves physical contact with the internal and external structure of the chimney using rotary brushes, poles, vacuums, hand tools and, where required, ladders and roof access. The nature of this work means that pre-existing damage can be revealed, disturbed or accelerated during the course of work — even when we perform the work with professional care and industry-standard equipment. Examples include: loose bricks or mortar coming down, cracks appearing or widening, a chimney pot or cap loosening, partial or total collapse of a chimney structure that was already unsound, dust or minor debris settling despite our drop sheets and HEPA vacuum, water ingress becoming apparent through paths that were already compromised.
5. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to the Australian Consumer Law and other rights that cannot be excluded, restricted or modified:
- The Chimney Chaps is not liable for loss or damage arising from pre-existing conditions of your chimney, flue, roof or property, including any outcome listed in Section 4 above, where those outcomes are caused by or contributed to by the pre-existing condition rather than by our negligence or wilful misconduct.
- The Chimney Chaps is not liable for consequential loss (e.g. loss of use of the fireplace, alternative accommodation costs, or third-party repair costs) arising from work being paused, deferred or declined due to safety concerns identified on-site.
- The Chimney Chaps is not liable for pre-existing hairline cracks, marks or blemishes on floors, walls, mantles, tiles or hearths that become more visible after cleaning.
- Our maximum liability, where liability is not otherwise excluded, is limited (at our option) to re-performing the service, refunding the fee paid, or the amount recoverable under our public liability insurance policy for that specific claim.
6. What we are responsible for
We remain responsible, and our public liability insurance responds, for loss or damage directly and proximately caused by our own negligence in performing the work — for example, dropping equipment through your ceiling, damaging a wall while carrying gear, or leaving a leak from a cowl we installed. Nothing in this document attempts to exclude that responsibility, and nothing here overrides the consumer guarantees provided by the Australian Consumer Law.
7. Access, safety and stop-work rights
You warrant that you have the authority to authorise work at the property. We reserve the right to stop work, decline to commence work, or refuse to work on parts of a chimney or flue that we consider unsafe, structurally unsound, or beyond the scope of the booking. Where work is stopped for safety reasons, a call-out fee may still apply for time on site.
8. Photos and documentation
We may take before-and-after photographs of the work area for our records and, where appropriate, for use on our website and marketing. Property is not identified in these images. If you do not wish photos to be used, please tell us before or during the visit.
9. Cancellations and rescheduling
Please give us as much notice as possible. Same-day cancellations, or an inability to access the property at the booked time, may result in a call-out fee at our discretion.
10. Payment
Payment is due on completion of the service unless otherwise agreed in writing. Prices quoted on the website are indicative and may vary based on the specific job scope, access, condition of the chimney, and materials required.
11. Marketing consent (Free Chimney Insulation Seal / VEU program)
If you select our Free Chimney Insulation Seal service and tick the associated consent box on the booking form, you consent to receiving marketing communications from The Chimney Chaps and our partner Energy Makeovers regarding energy-efficient products and services that may fall under Government Schemes such as the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, for a period of 24 months from the date of booking. Products discussed may include, but are not limited to, weather seals such as chimney seals and door seals. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us on 0434 291 009 or by replying STOP to any marketing SMS.
12. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia. Any dispute is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria.
13. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. The version in force at the time of your booking applies to that booking.
14. Contact
Questions? Call Otto on 0434 291 009 or email info@thechimneychaps.com.au.
Last updated: September 2026
