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Damp proofing in London: an independent survey before you pay
If you are looking for damp proofing, you have probably been told, or suspect, that a wall needs treating. We do not carry out damp proofing. We survey and write reports, and we sell no treatment, which is exactly why a report from us is worth having before you commit to one. It tells you why the wall is wet and what work, if any, is justified.
Request a survey Fixed-price surveys from £215, report included
When to get a survey before damp proofing
- A contractor has quoted for injection and replastering after a short visit
- A mortgage valuation or homebuyer survey has flagged damp and recommended a specialist
- A seller or landlord has offered a guarantee for treatment done years ago
- Damp proofing has been done and the problem came back
- A leaseholder and freeholder disagree about where the damp comes from
Why survey first
Damp proofing is a remedy for one cause. Much of London housing is Victorian and Edwardian solid brick with a physical damp proof course that still works and has been bridged by a raised path, a rendered plinth or a patio. Leaking gutters, failed pointing, plumbing leaks and condensation produce the same tide marks and the same meter readings. Treating a wall for rising damp when it has one of those problems costs money and fixes nothing.
A survey from a firm that sells the treatment has an obvious tension in it. Ours does not, because there is nothing for us to sell after the report.
What the report gives you
A written report within 24 hours of the visit, with photographs, calibrated readings and where they were taken, the diagnosed cause, and the work that would actually fix it, in order of priority.
- A clear answer on whether a damp proof course is needed at all
- A specification you can give to any contractor, so quotes compare like with like
- Evidence that carries weight with a seller, freeholder or insurer
- An outline of what the justified work should reasonably cost
Where we survey
Questions
Do you do damp proofing?
No. We survey and report only. That is deliberate: a report from a firm that would be paid for the treatment is not an independent view. If treatment is justified, our report specifies it so you can get like for like quotes from contractors of your choice.
I already have a damp proofing quote. Is a survey still worth it?
That is the most common reason people book us. A meaningful share of the walls we see quoted for injection do not need it, because the cause is a bridged course, a leak or condensation. The survey either confirms the work is justified or saves you paying for work that cannot succeed.
Which parts of London do you cover?
Every London borough. The areas page lists each one with notes on its housing and the damp problems we most often find there.