Independent damp surveys in Newham
Newham was built for the docks and then substantially rebuilt after the war, so its terraces are interrupted by post-war infill in a way few other boroughs match. It also has one of the highest concentrations of private rented housing in the country, and a good share of our work here is producing reports that will be read by somebody other than the person who commissioned them.
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Newham housing, and what it does when it gets wet
The surviving Victorian and Edwardian terraces are modest, solid walled and densely occupied. Many are now houses in multiple occupation, and the combination of high occupancy, limited heating and original single glazing produces genuine condensation risk on top of whatever the building itself is doing. Separating the two is the whole job: an overcrowded house with a working extract is a different problem from a house with a cold bridge and no ventilation at all.
Post-war infill and estate housing fills the gaps left by bomb damage. System built and large panel blocks fail at joints and cold bridges, producing mould that runs along slabs and reveals in bands rather than spreading from a point. That geometry is the evidence: mould that traces the structure is telling you about the structure.
Stratford and the Olympic fringe bring recent high density development with airtight envelopes and mechanical ventilation. Where those systems were never commissioned, or have been switched off, moisture accumulates in a building that cannot leak it away, and the result is mould in flats only a few years old. It is a performance failure and it is measurable.
What we are usually called out to in Newham
- Condensation risk in high occupancy houses, needing separation from building defects
- Mould banding at slabs, reveals and panel joints in post-war and system built blocks
- Housing disrepair reports written to be read by the other side
- Uncommissioned or disabled mechanical ventilation in recent high density flats
- Extract fans that move too little air, or discharge into a roof void
- Penetrating damp through failed rear extension roofs on older terraces
Which kind of damp is it?
In a London building the same stain can have four or five different causes, and in Newham we regularly find two at once. Water rising from the ground through a wall with no working course. Rain entering through a parapet, a gutter, a cracked render or a window head. Moisture from the air condensing on a cold wall. Water from a pipe, a bath seal or a flat upstairs. Each needs a different repair and, in a shared building, often a different person to pay for it.
Our readings are taken to separate them: at depth as well as at the surface, at heights up the wall, on either side of the damp, and alongside humidity and surface temperatures. The pattern, not a single number, is what the diagnosis rests on.
The inspection, around Stratford and across Newham
- 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 Newham: 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 Newham property needs.
- The written report follows within 24 hours.
Most of our Newham 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 Newham
Buying in Newham? A homebuyer or building survey that recommends a damp specialist should be followed by somebody with nothing to sell. Our report arrives within 24 hours of the visit, in time to negotiate, and it separates what is wrong from what simply needs maintaining. Landlords and tenants use the same report to settle what is a building defect and what is condensation; see our note on Awaab's Law and landlord duties.
By town
Forest Gate and Manor Park
Long streets of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, many converted into flats or let. Rear additions, concreted yards and condensation in busy households are the most common causes of damp.
Stratford and the Olympic Park
Large recent developments and towers alongside older terraces. New flats need their mechanical ventilation commissioned and working; older houses see the usual terrace faults.
Canning Town and the Royal Docks
Post war estates and extensive new development on former dock land, on low ground near the Thames. Ventilation, construction moisture and, on the lowest ground, groundwater are the main themes.
Where we cover
We survey across the borough, from Stratford and West Ham out through East Ham and Forest Gate to Beckton and the Royal Docks.
- Stratford
- East Ham
- Forest Gate
- Plaistow
- Canning Town
- Beckton
- Manor Park
- Royal Docks
- West Ham
Postcode districts
- E6
- E7
- E12
- E13
- E15
- E16
- E20
What customers say about us
Tom and Ben were brilliant from start to finish. Friendly, professional, and really knew their stuff. The report was clear, honest, and sent over quickly. Highly recommend ATI Damp Surveying!
Gary Emberson, on Google
We had this company at my parents house to survey. Professional and polite. Good communication and on time for appointment.
Jacqueline Stokes, on Google
Newham questions
The property is overcrowded. Does that make the damp the tenant's fault?
It is a factor and it is rarely the whole answer. More occupants means more moisture generated, but a building is expected to deal with the moisture normal occupation produces, and that is what ventilation is for. If the extract moves less air than it should, discharges into a void, or does not exist, the building is not doing its job whatever the occupancy. We measure air flow as well as moisture, so the report separates what the building is failing to do from what occupancy is adding.
We are a landlord. What use is an independent survey to us?
A great deal, particularly before a claim rather than after one. It establishes the actual condition, distinguishes defects you are responsible for from those you are not, and gives you a costed picture of what needs doing. If a claim follows, you already hold a contemporaneous, independent report rather than commissioning one under pressure. We carry out no remedial work, which is what makes the report credible to the other side.
Our Forest Gate terrace has mould in every bedroom. Why?
Often a combination of busy households, limited ventilation and cold external walls. We measure humidity, surface temperatures and extraction so the report can say what will help most.
Is our new build flat in Stratford still under warranty?
Many new homes have a warranty with a period when the developer is responsible for defects. If damp is a defect, an independent report gives the evidence to raise it.
Do you survey HMOs in Newham?
Yes. Houses in multiple occupation must meet housing standards on damp and mould. The report identifies causes and what needs doing.
Will you try to sell me damp proofing in Newham?
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 Newham
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