Independent damp surveys in Lambeth
Lambeth is late Georgian at its northern end, dense Victorian terrace through the middle, and large post-war estate at several points across it. The borough also has a great many houses converted into flats in the seventies and eighties, and that generation of conversion is now old enough that its weakest details are failing all at once.
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Lambeth housing, and what it does when it gets wet
The Kennington and Vauxhall Georgian terraces are solid brick with lower ground floors and front lightwells, and they suffer the same way as their counterparts north of the river: a lightwell that has been decked or planted bridges the wall, and a rear garden raised by successive landscaping puts ground above internal floor level. What gets called rising damp on a lower ground wall here is usually external ground doing exactly what it is being allowed to do.
The Victorian terraces through Brixton, Clapham and Streatham are mostly flats now. The recurring defect is the rear closet wing and its valley or parapet gutter, frequently shared with the neighbour and almost never cleared. Water from a blocked shared gutter enters both houses at the same level and is generally blamed on whichever flat notices it first.
The estates fail at cold bridges and panel joints. In a borough with a lot of disrepair activity, the useful distinction is between mould that follows the structure, which is a defect, and mould distributed evenly across a room with an extract that moves nothing, which is a ventilation failure and also a defect. Neither is a lifestyle problem, and our reports say so with readings rather than adjectives.
What we are usually called out to in Lambeth
- Front lightwells decked or planted over, bridging the wall of a lower ground room
- Shared valley gutters between closet wings overflowing into two houses at once
- Ageing seventies and eighties flat conversions where roofs, stacks and extensions are failing together
- Cold bridging in estate housing, showing as mould that follows slabs and reveals
- Extract fans ducted into voids rather than to outside air
- Timber decay in closet wing floors after years of slow overflow
Getting the diagnosis right in a London building
London's housing has been altered more than most: basements dug, lofts converted, houses split into flats, gardens raised, chimneys removed. In Lambeth that means damp is frequently the result of a change made decades ago rather than of the original building, and the remedy is to undo or correct that change.
We look for those alterations as much as for the damp itself. A floor laid above an old course, a fan ducted into a void, a lightwell filled with decking or a stack capped without ventilation explains more damp than any failed damp proof course.
The inspection, around Brixton and across Lambeth
- Every wall showing damp, and the walls either side of it for comparison
- Rainwater goods and roof junctions from the ground and from windows, and closer where access is safe
- Basement and lower ground floors for water table, drainage and bridging at the lightwell
- Condensation risk measured with temperature and humidity readings
- Visible timber for decay and beetle, with moisture content recorded
- Anything that would need opening up, identified and agreed with you rather than done unannounced
The report
Written within 24 hours of the visit, and structured for the people who will act on it in Lambeth: 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 Lambeth property needs.
- The written report follows within 24 hours.
Buyers, landlords, tenants and leaseholders in Lambeth use our reports for different reasons, but always because the report has nothing behind it. We carry out no remedial work and take no referral fees, so our conclusion is not shaped by what it would lead to.
Leaseholders, landlords and buyers in Lambeth
Leaseholders in Lambeth 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
Brixton and Herne Hill
Victorian terraces and large houses, many converted, and post war estates. Conversions, rear additions and condensation recur.
Kennington and Vauxhall
Georgian and early Victorian terraces with basements, many listed, and modern riverside towers. Front areas, vaults and parapets dominate in the terraces.
Streatham and West Norwood
Victorian and Edwardian houses and mansion blocks, with interwar streets. Bays, valley gutters and drives over the course are typical.
Where we cover
We survey across the borough, from Waterloo and Kennington out through Brixton and Clapham to Streatham and West Norwood.
- Brixton
- Clapham
- Streatham
- Kennington
- Vauxhall
- Herne Hill
- West Norwood
- Stockwell
- Tulse Hill
Postcode districts
- SW2
- SW4
- SW8
- SW9
- SE11
- SE24
- SE27
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.
Lambeth questions
Our neighbour has damp in the same place we do. What does that mean?
In a terrace it usually means a shared defect rather than a coincidence. Closet wing valley gutters, parapet gutters and rear passageway drainage are frequently shared between two houses, and when one blocks it affects both. That is generally good news for diagnosis, because it points at something specific rather than at your wall in particular. It does mean the repair may need both owners, which is a further reason to have an independent report saying precisely what and where the defect is.
The flat conversion was done in the eighties. Is that relevant?
Very. Flat roofs over rear extensions have a service life, and a lot of Lambeth conversion work is now well past it. So are the felt, the flashings and the boxed in stacks that were installed at the same time. When several details reach the end of their life together, a building that was fine for thirty years develops three leaks in two winters. Knowing the conversion date changes where we look first.
Our Kennington basement flat is damp under the front window. Why?
Front lower ground walls retain the pavement and vaults. A blocked area drain or leaking vault puts water against them.
Our Brixton council flat has mould. Is damp proofing needed?
No. Mould is condensation on cold surfaces. Social landlords must act on damp and mould within set timescales, and the report records the cause.
Do you survey Streatham mansion flats?
Yes. Damp in one flat often comes from shared roofs or stacks, and the report traces it.
Will you try to sell me damp proofing in Lambeth?
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 Lambeth
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