Terms of Engagement – including a money back guarantee if rising damp is identified
1) FREE independent survey. If we determine that rising damp is the main cause of dampness at the property being surveyed, we will repay the full survey fee, including travel costs and will complete the survey and report. Rising damp is defined as the deleterious vertical flow of water, derived from below the original ground level, through a property’s internal masonry wall, to above the base of the ground floor. For clarity the reason for this offer, is that it is exceptionally rare for rising damp to be the main cause of dampness.
2) You may cancel this contract with Damp Surveys Ltd at any time 24 hours before the time and day of the pre-arranged inspection. In such a case, we will refund full payment.
3) We may cancel this contract at any time including the day of the inspection if we determine after arriving on site, that it is unsafe or that we do not have sufficient skills to complete the exercise for you. In such a case, we will refund full payment less our travel expenses.
4) You are engaging Damp Surveys Ltd, to undertake an inspection of the property in question at a pre-arranged time and the production of a report in a timely fashion thereafter. We will carefully and thoroughly inspect both the inside and outside of the property but NOT any outbuildings unless specifically requested to do so in writing.
5) Before the inspection, but after the appointment has been made, we will undertake a desk top analysis of the property by checking various different websites and other information sources for details about the property and its location.
6) Terms of Payment – we only accept instructions after advance payment.
7) Liability – our report is provided for your use only and may only be relied upon for 90 days from the survey date. Unless expressly stated otherwise in this report, nothing in this report confers or is intended to confer any rights on any third party pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
8) We are unable to inspect parts of the structure which are covered, unexposed or inaccessible, including lofts, without written permission to do so, and are therefore unable to report that such parts are free from defect. We may express a professional opinion as to the likelihood of damp.
9) No disruptions will be made to the building’s fabricsave for a few pin sized holes, left by a measuring device. Access hatches and inspection chamber lids will only be lifted where it is easily possible to do so. Floor coverings and furniture cannot be moved, unless we have the prior written consent of the property owner. Floor voids will only be inspected if access panels permit. If there is a covered area you particularly wish us to investigate, please ensure that the owner of the property gives us prior written permission to uncover it.
10) We sometimes publish damp related images on websites to inform the public of damp, rot, timber insect infestation and the causes of damp, rot and timber infestation. We make every effort to ensure individual and corporate privacy is protected.
Insurance
For peace of mind, Damp Surveys Ltd have Public Liability insurance of £1,000,000 and Professional Indemnity insurance of £250,000 (annual aggregate) both through Hiscox.