Recently Chip Sprague a Charlotte home inspector was inspecting a house in Charlotte when he noticed the chimney is on the move. A brick chimney has it’s own foundation separate from the house because of the weight of the bricks. The chimney also has flashing and counter flashing where it joins the roof to allow it to settle. The chimney is built to withstand a little settlement. If the foundation is poor or there are tree roots or poor drainage the settlement can go beyond what it was designed for and actually pull away from the house. This is the case with this chimney that the found. They are going to have to call a foundation contractor to repair this. Charlotte home inspector http://wwwhomeinspectioncarolina.com