Independent damp surveys in Enfield
Enfield falls from the high ground at Enfield Chase down to the Lea valley in the east, and the water table falls with it. A house at the top and a house at the bottom have different problems, and the eastern side of the borough sits on ground that was market garden and flood plain within living memory.
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Enfield housing, and what it does when it gets wet
The eastern edge, through Edmonton and Ponders End, is low lying with a high water table and a lot of post-war and estate housing. Solid floors here are more likely to be affected by ground water than anywhere else in north London, and cellars where they exist are frequently wet as a matter of geology rather than defect. Distinguishing groundwater from a defect matters, because one is managed and the other is repaired.
The Edwardian terraces through Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill are solid brick with rear closet wings, largely converted to flats. The pattern is the borough's most common: shared valley gutters, rear extension roofs at the end of their life, and bathroom extracts ducted into roof voids during refits. Water enters high and appears low, in a flat that owns none of the defect.
The interwar and post-war stock that fills most of the rest is cavity walled with a working damp proof course, and it fails the way that stock fails everywhere: bridged courses from raised drives, blocked airbricks and sealed up ventilation after window replacement. The New River threading through the borough is a further reason to look carefully at ground and surface water where properties back onto it.
What we are usually called out to in Enfield
- Ground water affecting solid floors and cellars on the low lying eastern side
- Shared valley gutters and ageing extension roofs in converted Edwardian terraces
- Bridged damp proof courses on interwar semis after successive drives and paths
- Ventilation sealed up during window replacement, with condensation following
- Blocked airbricks and musty suspended ground floors
- Surface and ground water where properties back onto the New River or the valley floor
Rising, penetrating, condensation or a leak
A tide mark low on a Enfield wall is often called rising damp on sight. It may be. It may equally be a patio laid against the outside, a front area drain that has stopped draining, salts left behind by an old leak, or condensation collecting behind furniture on a cold wall. A pin meter cannot tell these apart, because salts and surface moisture make it read high regardless.
The survey works through the possibilities in order and records why each was accepted or ruled out, so that whoever reads the report, a solicitor, a freeholder or a contractor, can follow the reasoning.
How we survey a Enfield property
- Externally first: the elevations, the ground or paving against them, and every route water has to the wall
- For flats, the parts of the building outside the demise that can be seen or reasonably reached
- Readings that distinguish surface salts from moisture in depth, rather than a single pin meter figure
- Dew point conditions in the affected rooms, logged and compared with the coldest surfaces
- Ventilation measured, not assumed from the presence of a fan
- Previous damp treatments identified, with whether they addressed the cause
The report
Written within 24 hours of the visit, and structured for the people who will act on it in Enfield: you, your solicitor, a freeholder, a contractor.
- A summary of the cause and urgency on the first page
- Photographs and readings, located on the building
- Who is likely responsible for each defect, where it sits outside your demise
- Remedial recommendations as a specification for contractors to price
- An indication of what that work should reasonably cost
- What does not need doing, including any treatment already quoted
From request to report
- Send the request form or call. We reply the same day with the fee in writing.
- We agree a visit, including evenings and weekends, and arrange access to any communal areas if needed.
- The surveyor spends as long as the Enfield property needs.
- The written report follows within 24 hours.
Most of our Enfield surveys are for one of four people: a buyer whose survey flagged damp, a tenant or landlord with mould, a leaseholder trying to get a freeholder to act, or an owner holding a damp proofing quote. Each needs the same thing, an account of the cause from somebody with no interest in the remedy, and that is all we provide.
Leaseholders, landlords and buyers in Enfield
Leaseholders in Enfield often discover that the cause of their damp sits in a part of the building they do not own. Our report says where the water is coming from and which element of the building it passes through, which is the evidence a freeholder or managing agent needs under the lease. For landlords, damp and mould are hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and social landlords in England now work to the fixed timescales of Awaab's Law. Our guide to Awaab's Law explains what that means.
By town
Enfield Town and Bush Hill Park
Victorian and Edwardian houses near the centre and around the station, with interwar estates beyond. Bay windows, rear additions and drives over the damp proof course recur.
Edmonton and Ponders End
Victorian terraces and post war estates in the east of the borough, near the Lea valley. Rear yards, condensation and, on the lowest ground, groundwater are the usual findings.
Southgate and Winchmore Hill
Interwar and Edwardian suburbs with larger houses and gardens. Mature trees blocking gutters, extensions and paved drives are the common causes of damp.
Where we cover
We survey across the borough, from Enfield Town and Winchmore Hill down through Palmers Green to Edmonton and Ponders End.
- Enfield Town
- Palmers Green
- Winchmore Hill
- Edmonton
- Southgate
- Ponders End
- Cockfosters
- Oakwood
- Bush Hill Park
Postcode districts
- EN1
- EN2
- EN3
- N9
- N13
- N14
- N18
- N21
What customers say about us
Had ATI Damp Surveying & Reports come out after being told by another company that we needed a new damp proof course. There was damp showing on the downstairs wall and we weren’t really sure what was causing it.
Karolina Ciszek, on Google
Tom carried out a really thorough inspection and took the time to explain what he was looking for. He found that the issue was actually coming from the external wall rather than rising damp, which saved us from spending money on work we didn’t need.
Really happy with the service. The report was clear, professional and gave us a much better understanding of what was going on. Would definitely recommend ATI to anyone who’s unsure about the cause of damp before committing to any remedial work.
I had a great experience from start to finish. The damp survey was carried out professionally and thoroughly, with everything explained in a clear and easy-to-understand way. They were punctual, knowledgeable, and took the time to answer all of my questions without any pressure.
Frankie Fry, on Google
The report was detailed and gave me confidence in understanding the issues and the best way to move forward. I really appreciated their honest advice and professional approach. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy damp surveyor.
Enfield questions
We are low lying and the floor is damp. Is that just the water table?
It might be, and it should be established rather than assumed, because the two look identical from inside. Ground water damp varies with rainfall and season and tends to be fairly even across a floor or a below ground wall. A defect, such as a fractured drain, a bridged wall or surface water running at the building, is more localised and often directional. We survey the internal pattern and the external drainage before saying which, because the two cost very different amounts to deal with.
We replaced the windows and now there is condensation. Is that connected?
Almost certainly. Original windows leaked air continuously, which ventilated the house whether anyone intended it or not. Replacing them removes that, and if the new units have no trickle vents, or the vents are closed, the moisture a household generates has nowhere to go. It is one of the most common causes of sudden condensation in otherwise sound houses, and the answer is controlled ventilation rather than anything applied to the walls.
Our house in Edmonton is near the Lea. Is the damp groundwater?
On the lowest ground it can be, especially in floors. The survey separates groundwater from rainwater, condensation and bridging.
Our Southgate semi has damp after we paved the drive. Is that connected?
Very likely, if the paving sits less than about two courses below the damp proof course. It is fixed by cutting back the paving or adding a drained channel.
Do you survey for landlords in Enfield?
Yes. The report separates building defects from condensation driven by occupancy, which helps landlords meet their duties and resolve disputes.
Will you try to sell me damp proofing in Enfield?
No. We carry out no remedial work, so there is nothing to sell after the survey. The report states the cause, the work that would actually fix it and an outline of what that work should reasonably cost, so you can get like for like quotes from contractors of your choice, or put it to a seller, landlord or freeholder.
Nearby
Book a damp survey in Enfield
We survey and report only, with no treatment to sell, so what the report says is the whole of our interest. Same day response to every enquiry, and a written report with photographs within 24 hours of the visit.
Book a survey or call 020 3355 4944