If your property is suffering from a damp problem, the first step you need to take is to get the issue surveyed by a specialist surveyor. A damp proofing surveyor will carry out a comprehensive inspection and provide a detailed survey report highlighting the areas affected by damp. If required, the survey report will contain a repair quotation, indicating all costs involved to rectify the issue thoroughly and correctly.
Here, we talk through the survey process and how to go about choosing a specialist damp contractor for your property.
A surveyor will conduct a thorough inspection of your property, identify the cause of the damp issue and specify the right solution to rectify the problem.
Be sure to use an appropriately qualified surveyor to carry out the inspection. An incorrect diagnosis of the problem could result in wrong solution being specified and money wasted on works that do not rectify the issue.
External Issues
The first stage of any damp survey is to inspect the exterior of the property for defects that could allow moisture into your building. Many damp problems are traced back to exterior defects to the property such as missing or damaged roof tiles, flashings, gutters and downpipes, defective brick stonework or render can allow damp into your home.
Surveying the Damp Problem
A Richardson & Starling surveyor will investigate the area highlighted by you, in the home report or identified by the property tenant. If your property is affected by a penetrating damp issue, damp might spread and affect the internal fabric such as plaster or structural timbers. Our surveyor will closely inspect the problem area and identify the scale as well as the cause of the damp ingress.
Once the area is inspected, our qualified surveyor will be able to provide a report on the recommended remedial work required to solve the damp issue.
Surveying Tools
Our damp surveyors use highly specialised equipment to help them locate damp problems. The surveyor will use tools such as a hygrometer to measure the volume of moisture in the air, a surface moisture meter to measure the amount of damp in wall fabrics and laser thermometers to record the temperature of walls and ceilings.
By using these tools, the surveyor will locate the source of the problem and give insight into how widespread the problem is.
Survey Report
Once the survey is complete, you will receive a detailed survey report. Our reports provide the crucial information detailing what is the cause of damp in your property, how wide it is spread and what needs to be done to eradicate it effectively. If required our survey report contains a repair quotation providing the cost to repair the problem and detailing our remedial treatment guarantee ranging up to 30 years for your peace of mind.
There are several treatments available to counteract and reverse the ingress of moisture into your property. Depending on what damp problem is affecting your property: rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation, our surveyors will specify the most appropriate solution.
Rising damp is treated by utilising our Damp Proof Course system (DPC) consisting stages of damp proofing injection and wall damp proofing using membranes.
If your property suffers from penetrating damp, an appropriate solution might vary from external wall treatment using a water repellent material or internal treatment solutions utilising wall coverage with a damp proofing membrane.
The specified solution will greatly vary depending on circumstances affecting your property, so it is always best to contact a specialist damp proofer to inspect the issue.
It is important to pick the right damp specialist who has the experience and qualifications to carry out the survey and the work. Things to think about include how long the specialist has been providing property preservation services, their experience and the types of guarantees they offer.
Specialist Experience
Becoming a damp specialist requires plenty of hands-on experience as well as multiple certificates that must be acquired to provide such services. Even though, training courses are a good indicator of competence, be sure to choose an experienced specialist who also offers a comprehensive service. They should be able to offer a comprehensive damp survey, provide detailed repair specifications as well as be competent in identifying all relevant issues such as timber rot or woodworm infestations as these issues typically appear in parallel to long-term damp issues.
Accreditations & Awards
Trade body associations such as the Property Care Association (PCA) and the Basement Waterproofing Association (BWA) are the governing damp proofing bodies. If a trader has won an award from these trade bodies then this demonstrates their willingness to go above and beyond to provide a good quality service. A Damp Specialist will showcase these on their website or vehicles to demonstrate to potential customers that they have the skills and experience to carry out the work.
Relevant Qualifications
Qualifications for damp surveyors such as a Certificate in Remedial Damp Surveying (CRDS) or a Certificate in Remedial Treatment (CSRT) are necessary qualifications needed to show that the surveyor is qualified to carry out property inspections and specify any remedial works. Check the specialist’s website and/or brochures for mentions of these certificates.
Guarantee Duration
Looking at how long a Damp Specialist will offer a guarantee on particular types of work is a good indication of their confidence in their work. For instance, Richardson & Starling provide a 30 year guarantee for rising damp works, 10 year guarantee for basement waterproofing works and a 5 year guarantee for penetrating damp contracts, while other contractors do not provide such guarantee at all.
Make sure that the Specialist contractor guarantees can be backed by an insurance protection scheme in case the trader goes out of business. At Richardson & Starling we have been solving property damp problems for more than 85 years. We offer long term Guarantees that you can trust for your peace of mind and if you sell your property the guarantee is transferred to the new owner free of charge.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews will instantly tell you a great deal about a damp treatment company and the level of their work quality. A happy customer will typically go out of their way to leave a positive feedback, so if the Specialist Contractor has been operating for a long time, they should have a good number of positive reviews. Note that if customer reviews are gathered over a short space of time, then it might be a sign of unethical practices.
Richardson & Starling have been providing high quality damp surveys and damp treatments for more than 85 years (since 1935). Our specialists are highly qualified and experienced in surveying and repairing all aspects of remedial treatment required for any type of property. In addition to a wide range of damp proofing services, we can also provide a comprehensive set of structural and timber treatment solutions that go hand in hand with damp proofing services to provide a one stop shop solution supported with our long-term guarantees.
We pride ourselves on outstanding customer service that is accurately reflected in our customer reviews. We want our customers to feel supported along the whole journey to ensure they know their property is in the right hands.
Damp Treatments Guaranteed Up To 30 Years
After so many years successfully surveying and repairing all types of properties, we are confident in our rising damp treatment 30-year guarantee. This guarantee will also transfer to the new owner if you decide to move.
We are long-standing members of the Property Care Association (PCA), Basement Waterproofing Association (BWA) and the Guarantee Protection Insurance (GPI) scheme, demonstrating our ability to fulfil any technical and financial requirements to provide a trustworthy service.