Independent damp surveys in Greenwich
Greenwich runs from a Georgian world heritage site at the river to Thamesmead on the marshes, and takes in Victorian Charlton and post-war Woolwich on the way. The ground changes as much as the buildings: chalk and gravel on the higher land at Blackheath, alluvial marsh at the eastern end.
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Greenwich housing, and what it does when it gets wet
The Georgian and early Victorian houses around Greenwich town and the park are solid brick, often listed, with lower ground floors and vaults. The constraints are the same as central London: lime based repairs, breathable finishes, and no realistic prospect of consent for visible external alteration. What is different is the exposure to the river and the amount of below ground space in daily use.
Thamesmead and the eastern marshland is a genuinely distinct problem. It is reclaimed low lying ground, and the estate housing built on it is largely concrete, much of it system built, with services and walkways at raised level. Cold bridging in concrete structures produces mould that traces the slabs and joints, and the water table beneath is high enough that ground floor and below ground spaces need looking at on their own terms.
Between the two, Charlton and Eltham are conventional Victorian terrace and interwar semi, and they fail conventionally: bridged damp proof courses from raised ground, blocked airbricks, failed rear extension roofs and shared closet wing gutters. Woolwich adds a large amount of post-war and recent regeneration housing with the ventilation issues that come with airtight construction.
What we are usually called out to in Greenwich
- Listed Georgian stock needing lime based repairs and consentable recommendations
- Cold bridging in concrete and system built estate housing on the eastern marshland
- High water table affecting ground floors and below ground space near the river
- Bridged damp proof courses and blocked airbricks on interwar stock at Eltham and Charlton
- Airtight regeneration housing with uncommissioned or disabled ventilation
- Failed rear extension roofs and shared closet wing gutters in converted terraces
Rising, penetrating, condensation or a leak
A tide mark low on a Greenwich 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.
What an ATi survey in Greenwich includes
- Moisture readings taken on a grid and at height bands, so the report can show which way the water is moving
- The outside of the building, including front areas, lightwells, parapets and rear additions where access allows
- Communal elements that affect your flat: shared gutters, soil stacks, roof outlets and the party walls
- Humidity, air and surface temperatures where mould or condensation is in question
- Extract fans checked for where they discharge and how much air they move
- Timbers within reach, and the sub floor where a hatch or a lifted board allows
What you receive
A written report with photographs within 24 hours, in plain English, that stands on its own whoever reads it.
- Findings by room and by elevation
- Readings and the pattern they form
- The diagnosis, and the causes considered and excluded
- Recommendations in priority order
- Notes for a purchase, a lease or a disrepair matter where relevant
- A clear line where a quote you hold for a Greenwich property goes further than the defect
How a survey is arranged
- Tell us the postcode, the property type and what has been noticed.
- We confirm the fee and the time. It does not change on the day.
- On site, outside first, then inside, with findings explained before we leave.
- The report arrives within a day, ready to forward to a solicitor, agent or freeholder.
Most of our Greenwich 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 Greenwich
Leaseholders in Greenwich 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
Greenwich and Blackheath
Georgian and Victorian houses, many listed, on the hill and around the park. Lime built walls, parapets, basements and cement repairs recur.
Woolwich and Plumstead
Victorian terraces, former military buildings converted into flats and large new developments. Conversions, condensation and terrace faults dominate.
Eltham
Interwar suburbs and older houses, including the Progress Estate. Drives over the course, extensions and mould are typical.
Where we cover
We survey across the borough, from Greenwich and Blackheath out through Charlton and Woolwich to Eltham and Thamesmead.
- Greenwich
- Blackheath
- Charlton
- Woolwich
- Eltham
- Thamesmead
- Plumstead
- Kidbrooke
- Abbey Wood
Postcode districts
- SE3
- SE7
- SE9
- SE10
- SE18
- SE28
What customers say about us
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.
ATI came back to do additional works to my property and I can honestly say they are top notch. Tom was very pleasant and explained treatment required in detail. He worked quietly and made minimal distractions. Working area was left looking as good as new. Very happy.
Polly Cunningham, on Google
Greenwich questions
Our flat is in a concrete block and the mould follows straight lines. Why?
Because it is following the structure rather than the room, which is the signature of cold bridging. Where a concrete slab or a panel joint passes through the insulation line, that strip of wall or ceiling is measurably colder than the surface either side of it, so moisture condenses there first and mould grows in a band. It is a building defect, not a consequence of how the flat is used, and the geometry of the mould is the evidence for that.
Does being close to the river make damp more likely?
It changes what to look for rather than simply making it worse. Near the river the ground is lower, the water table is higher and below ground spaces are more exposed to it, so ground water genuinely is a factor for basements and solid floors in a way it is not on the higher ground at Blackheath. Above ground, exposure to wind driven rain off the water matters more than the water itself. Both are things we survey for rather than assume.
Our Blackheath house is listed and damp. What can be done?
Lime repairs, rainwater work and drainage are usually appropriate and often acceptable. The report flags where consent may be needed.
Our flat in a Woolwich conversion has damp. Whose problem is it?
It depends on the lease and the source. The report identifies where the water comes from.
Do Eltham semis need damp proofing?
Rarely. Bridging by drives and patios is the usual cause.
Will you try to sell me damp proofing in Greenwich?
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 Greenwich
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