Independent damp surveys in Lewisham
Lewisham is Victorian terraces interrupted by war damage and rebuilt in whatever the period after favoured, so a single street can run from 1880 brick to 1950s system build to 1980s infill. Each generation has a different failure mode, and the borough has a high volume of disrepair work where the distinction between a defect and condensation is the entire question.
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Lewisham housing, and what it does when it gets wet
The Victorian terraces are solid brick with rear closet wings and slate roofs, mostly converted to flats. The closet wing is the weak point: a narrow two storey rear projection with a valley or parapet gutter alongside it, often shared with the neighbour, and frequently the last part of the building anyone maintains. A blocked shared valley overflows into both houses at once, which is also why neither owner is quick to accept it is theirs.
The post-war rebuilds include a good deal of system build and large panel construction. These fail predictably at the joints and at cold bridges: mould in a band along the slab, at window reveals and in corners, in patterns that follow the structure rather than the room. Where a housing disrepair claim is running, that distinction is the case, and a report that records surface temperatures and readings against the structure is what settles it.
The more recent infill and conversions bring sealed, well insulated envelopes with ventilation that was specified on paper and not commissioned in practice. An airtight flat with a trickle vent taped over and an extract that moves almost nothing will grow mould however it is heated. That is a building performance failure and should be reported as one rather than being written off as lifestyle.
What we are usually called out to in Lewisham
- Shared valley or parapet gutters between Victorian closet wings, overflowing into both houses
- Mould banding at slabs, reveals and corners in post-war blocks, following the structure rather than the room
- Housing disrepair reports that need to distinguish a building defect from occupation, with readings to back it
- Sealed modern flats with ventilation that was never commissioned or has been disabled
- Timber decay in closet wing floors and roofs after years of slow overflow
- Damp appearing in a converted flat from a defect in a part of the building it does not own
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 Lewisham 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.
What an ATi survey in Lewisham 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
Inside the report
Each Lewisham report follows the same order, so it reads easily to a buyer, a landlord or a court:
- Scope and conditions on the day
- Observations, with photographs
- Measurements, with where each was taken
- Conclusions on cause
- Recommendations and an outline cost
- Limitations: what was not inspected and why
What happens when you request a survey
- A same day reply, with the fee and our first available times in Lewisham.
- One surveyor, no sales visit to follow, because there is nothing to sell.
- A visit of one to two hours for most flats and houses.
- A written report with readings and photographs within 24 hours.
Buyers, landlords, tenants and leaseholders in Lewisham 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 Lewisham
Leaseholders in Lewisham 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
Brockley and Ladywell
Large Victorian houses, many converted into flats, in conservation areas. Valley gutters, rear additions and lower ground floors retaining sloping gardens are common.
Catford and Bellingham
Victorian and Edwardian terraces and the interwar Bellingham estate. Drives and yards bridging courses, and condensation, recur.
Sydenham and Forest Hill
Hilly streets with large Victorian houses and conversions. Sloping plots send water at uphill walls, and basements retain ground.
Where we cover
We survey across the borough and the neighbouring streets, from New Cross and Deptford out to Sydenham and Grove Park.
- Lewisham
- Brockley
- Catford
- Forest Hill
- Sydenham
- Deptford
- New Cross
- Blackheath
- Grove Park
Postcode districts
- SE4
- SE6
- SE8
- SE12
- SE13
- SE14
- SE23
- SE26
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
Lewisham questions
We are bringing a disrepair claim. What does an independent report need to show?
It needs to establish, with evidence rather than assertion, that there is a defect in the building and that the damp follows from it. That means calibrated moisture readings across the affected surfaces, the pattern of the mould recorded against the structure, the condition and performance of any ventilation, and the external condition that explains the entry point. We carry out no remedial work, so we have no interest in what the remedy turns out to be, which is the point of instructing us rather than a contractor.
Our landlord says we need to open the windows more. Is that a fair answer?
Sometimes it is part of the picture, and on its own it is rarely the whole one. If a surface is cold enough, moisture will condense on it at humidity levels that occur in any occupied home, and no reasonable amount of window opening will change that. If an extract fan moves too little air, or discharges into a void, ventilation is not being provided regardless of behaviour. We measure both, and the report says which factors are actually driving it.
Our Brockley lower ground flat is damp at the back. Why?
The rear wall often retains a sloping garden. Water arrives sideways and needs drainage and, for habitable rooms, a below ground system.
Our Catford terrace has damp in the back room. Is it rising damp?
More often a concreted yard, a downpipe or a rear addition roof. The survey checks those first.
Do you survey conversions in Lewisham for buyers?
Yes, and the report identifies whether any damp comes from the flat or the building.
Will you try to sell me damp proofing in Lewisham?
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 Lewisham
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