Damp Surveyor: London

Damp proof by solving the root cause of damp during damp survey. Once stopped at source, damp will not return.

Why damp survey? book

Almost all damp London houses have been chemically damp proofed. If damp proofing chemicals worked there would be no need for a damp survey (and insufficient business for chemical damp proofers), see example: https://dampsurveys.com/example_detailed_report/ .

Look at the base of external walls to see if there’s disruption to bricks or render, such as a line of penny sized dots on or between successive bricks, often more visible at the rear of house. This is a sign of past chemical damp proofing AKA misdiagnosed Rising Damp Treatment.

Why impartial?

  • You can’t blame rising damp contractors recommending rising damp treatment, if that is how they make a living.
  • You can’t blame the PCA (Property Care Association – damp proofers Trade Body) their members are mainly Rising Damp proofers
  • Even “Independent/Freelance Surveyor/Consultant with PCA membership” can make most of their profit from Rising Damp and
  • Many RICS or other surveyors find it hard to trace moisture back to its source. It is often easier to say the problem looks like rising damp, so why not hide a damp patch with chemicals, it will probably last for 5 years.

Problem – PCA is the only widely recognised qualification

The PCA “Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Buildings” is the only recognised damp survey qualification, by RICS, insurers and mortgage lenders. But

  1. But qualifying as a Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Buildings only takes 1 week,
  2. without evidence or
  3. hand-on experience and
  4. misses a key component, differentiating sources of damp with rising damp like symptoms, such:
    • leaks,
    • excess vapour,
    • hygroscopic salts and
    • rainwater.

Solution – qualification through experience

Over 2,000 damp issues solved, using a root cause approach to fixing damp without injecting chemicals. £2.5Million saved last year chemical free, £10,000 on average per damp survey in London – see reviews and guarantees.

Service

  • Surveys take 1 to 1.5hours. We will need to monitor atmospheric humidity, which we ask you to help us with by obtaining data loggers before the survey (more information when booking an appointment).
  • It is often useful to see the other side of a damp wall, such as in a neighbour’s property.
  • Most causes of damp are easy and quick to fix, once the root cause is correctly identified.
  • This is why most damp issues are misdiagnosed or over engineered by contractors.

See example report

https://dampsurveys.com/example_detailed_report/

 
Our role is to identify the root cause of damp. 
We often fix the primary cause of damp while tracing the root cause – this is not our role, but a consequential benefit, and is dependent on time and permission. Examples of on-survey solutions are: unblocking gullies, unblocking ventilation, optimising extractor fans and improving heat distribution.
We are not contractors.
  • Repairs depend on time, experience and accessibility and should be seen as a bonus not a given.
  • We never charge for repairs. We don’t provide, install or replace equipment. 
  • Independence and eliminating conflicts of interest, is a key aspect of the service.

Fee

  • The fee is a fixed rate of £400 for the survey and standard PDF report (sent by email).
  • We send an invoice a few days in advance confirming the appointment time, with payment details.
  • The fee is paid in advance in the form of a refundable deposit. 
  • We offer a follow-up visit (very rare) for 50% of the current rate. Follow-up takes about 45 minutes. We only offer this after at least one summer has passed, all recommendations have been followed, data is collected from loggers and during winter months. Limited appointments will be offered as we may only be in the area 1 day in the month. The follow-up report is brief, adding to previous report with additional recommendations if required.
 
 
 

Rising damp guarantee

  • We will repay the full fee, no questions asked, if we find rising damp is the root cause. It is that rare in London.
  • We would also like to be involved in ongoing monitoring, as data is important for the scientific study of this rare and illusive phenomena.
  • We have two fee refunded cases we are currently studying, both appear to be linked to effects in street-side surface water drains (penetrating damp not rising damp).

Satisfaction guarantee

  • We want you to be satisfied so that you would like to write an informative review for future clients.
  • The survey and report comes with a satisfaction guarantee. 
  • If you are unhappy with the service, just tell us within two weeks of receiving the survey report and we will repay the fee in full, within two weeks of being informed.
Please call and speak to someone to ask for a fee refund as we are often overwhelmed with emails.
 

What is a damp survey cost?

Some rising damp proofing contractors make their surveys FREE, or charge and offer a refund from the profit they make from treatment.

So how do contractors profit?

Some say it is by overstating the problem and therefore recommending a more disruptive and more expensive remedy than required.
What would you do if you were a contractor offering a low cost survey?

Damp from hygroscopic salts is good example

Damp caused by hygroscopic damp is a good case in point. This is where water is bounded by salts, mainly calcium nitrate from chimney breasts. These salts are benign but an aesthetic concern, acting more like grease stains rather than damp.

But contractors and surveyors constantly misdiagnosed them as being caused by rising damp. The end result is damage to a wall, that does not necessarily fix the problem. The solution is simply to block these salts with an oil based primer.

Dry rot is another example

The only effective solution for Dry rot is to identify and eliminate the root cause of damp, yet many recommend a toxic box, a useless, expensive and destructive procedure.

Damp Survey Cost
The real cost of a Damp Survey is the cost of not finding and treating the source of damp!

What differentiates Damp Surveys Ltd?

We tend to solve the more complex London type damp problems;

  • Independent from contractors. Our only income is from Damp and Timber Surveys.
  • Extensive survey. Most surveys take 1 to 2 hours. We look at damp walls from every angle and if there are any doubts, will ask to see the neighbour’s side of the wall. After all rising damp rises evenly on both side of the walls.
  • We take a holistic approach, tracing damp back to it’s root cause.
  • Suitable qualifications with the RICS and PCA (Property Care Association).
  • Satisfied customers, see Which! reviews: https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/businesses/damp-surveys-ltd/#reviews and
    CheckaTrade reviews: https://www.checkatrade.com/trades/DampSurveysLtd
  • Simon is a qualified RICS expert witness.
  • We charge a fixed survey fee of £400 (no VAT payable).

Damp proofing against rising damp, condensation, penetrating damp and leaking pipes is almost always free to solve.

Damp Surveyor Qualifications

  • Qualified by experience and success, see online reviews.
  • I am a RICS qualified expert witness – it means I have been taught and tested by expert lawyers, not chartered.
  • Despite being skeptical of the practices, qualifications and membership of the Property Care Association (damp Proofing industry trade body), I happen to be the first qualified Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Building (certificate number 00001).
PCA Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Buildings CSDB
PCA C.S.D.B. – Property Care Association – Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Buildings

Your peace of mind is our goal. For you to be satisfied that the property will be properly protected against damp now and into the future, not just a short term fix.

Save by solving the cause of damp

Our charge is £400 (no VAT payable). The average savings in London taking our root cause approach to damp proofing is £10,000 per property.
We saved one client over £35,000 of unnecessary, damaging treatment at a property that had had 2 past damaging damp proofing treatments and was considering a 3rd, before asking us for a second opinion.
 
If you don’t believe us, read what others say, and don’t forget our 14 day money back and rising damp guarantees – see Damp Surveys booking form.