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Damp Proof Specialists / Experience

2

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  • Hi, we have had damp proof work carried out by Kenwood PLC and it has made things worse than before. They used a so-called 'tanking' method, but we have had daily leaks/floods in the basement ever since. They are not responsive and aren't prepared to admit the treatment hasn't worked. I do not recommend them!
  • Ah "damp proofing" - what a lucrative little scam that is....

    Bought my house 2 years ago surveys said extensive damp problem. Victorian terrace. Have heated house normal amount/aired the house the normal amount, even hang washing out indoors in the winter. No sign of any damp in any of the 'problem areas' flagged up!

    I'd say don't be too quick to shell out the money for a damp proof course. A guarantee probably wouldn't be enforceable anyway either.
  • tizzle6560
    tizzle6560 Posts: 354
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    Kenwoods are renowned for being complete cowboys and I was warned off them severely by a number of people.

    Newlyboughthouse - I appreicate what you are saying however I had an independent damp surveyor (as well as 2 contractors) assess the problem, and his impartial advice was to get it done in the affected areas still. So afar so good is all I can say!
  • AlexMac
    AlexMac Posts: 2,973
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    tizzle6560 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advise and suggestion. I ended up going with a company called Trident Damp who have undertaken two jobs (inc) DPC and replaster of damp walls.....on a separate note - currently in discussions/arguments with our property management company over the condition of the exterior of the building which has categorically affected the damp issues ive rectified internally. From your experience as a home owner (leaseholder?), do you think I can recover some of those costs from other leaseholders in the property, considering that works was definitely needed to rectify the issue? Cheers

    Oh- just seen this supplementary Q- as someone's bumped the post up; so apologies if this is too late ...

    I'd not realised you may be a leaseholder; in which case, there is a real possibility that costs of remedying structural damp could, in whole or in part be a shared liability; just as would be the case if the roof needed repair or replacement; that would not normally only be down to the top floor flat...

    Subject to what it says in the lease, what the arrangements are for maintenance and its funding, who the freeholder is and what the relationship with other leasehold owners you might get lucky. I guess a problem may be that you've already done the work, rather than dealing in whoever acts for the freeholder prior but my experience might be helpful here.

    When I was in a leasehold flat, the lease was very specific about who was liable for waht- so that for example I was liable fro the inner surface of the walls but the freeholder owned the inner core and outer surface (as they did the external woodwork, roof, roof-space etc). The damp work I mentioned which was done before I moved in had actually been funded by the freeholder - but this was a 'shared freehold' company, whose directors were the six flat-owners, who knew each other , trusted each other and rubbed along well (e.g. we jointly funded and pitched in to a DIY loft insulation which obviously primarily benefitted the top flat)!

    So-
    - read your lease
    - chat up the freeholder or their agent
    - and schmooze the neighbours

    Good luck
  • Further update to our situation this end. We are now getting damp and water ingress in an additional area of the property which was assessed as ok when the independent surveyor came round. This was in the height or summer however so no wonder it wast picked up then.

    To complicate matters further. the remaining 2 (of a total of 3 including my property) leaseholders have not paid their service charge for the last 3 years!! This means t hat the prop management company have their hands tied (apparently) with what work they can undertake.

    Has anyone got any advice on forcing the hand of the PMC to resolve this new issue. Bearing in mind that I have already forked out on new flooring and carpets in this room and do NOT want to have to replace these after only 3 months!
  • My wife and I want to share the terrible experiences we have had with the Damp Proofing Industry so that others can become aware and avoid such misery.
    Last year, we purchase our lovely Victorian Terrane house built of beautiful yellow stock bricks in Wimbledon West London for a very considerable sum that required our entire life’s savings to be invested to meet the deposit requirements of the lender.
    The buying process required us to conduct a “Timber and Damp” Survey and report and recommended the use of a member of the Property Care Association (PCA) which we did the Survey was free and a rather glamorous report produced requiring some £5,000 + VAT worth of chemical injection work to cure a defective Damp Course. This seemed on the face of things very reasonable, but some seeds of doubt were sown when the report was signed off by a Director with considerable letters after his name but the report and Survey itself was undertaken by the “surveyor” who held a CSRT Certificate. We had no idea what a CSRT was so conducted some searched and found the following website when searching “Property Care Association” on Google and sitting position 1 page 1 was this:
    http://www.heritage-house.org/timber-and-damp-surveys.html
    I quote from this website as follows:
    Timber and Damp surveys are the most misunderstood, and misused term in the real estate industry. We are constantly horrified at the number of people trying to buy a property, only to be told by a building society or bank valuation surveyor - you must have a 'Specialist Timber and Damp Survey'. Usually they try to get you to use someone who is PCA registered - PCA is the Property Care Association. The Board of the PCA is composed of chemical industry millionaires. One of the Board owns a number of timber and damp companies, one of which has been taken to court for illegal dumping of asbestos. These are not nice people. DO NOT under any circumstances allow any of these clowns into or near a house you are thinking of buying.
    Here's a link to a bit more info about the Property CARE Association (My bold italics - sorry - I'm too cynical): All about the PCA
    Research this term in detail. Look at the methods, the claims made, and investigate the legality of their guarantees. The Guarantee Protection Insurance they flog, is another giant CON. Even the GPI have now cut the insurance term from 20 to 10 years because of the problems they are having with the damp industry. The people involved just happen to be VERY involved in selling chemicals. It is an industry association that has managed to establish itself as an 'industry standard' with little or no opposition. They are only recommended because there is no other obvious association that can perform a similar task. Have a look at the syllabus for training their so called surveyors. It's a 3 day course. It is peppered with words like 'rising damp', injection methods, siliconates, polyoxo aluminium stearate, polysiloxane / silane micro emulsions (horrible chemicals), timber treatment chemicals (which are even more toxic) - and bear in mind that one day of the three day course is devoted to learning all about the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health <COSHH> legislation, and how to safely use the toxic warfare they are about to unleash on your unsuspecting house.
    The entire training course takes 3 days. At the end of it you have some pretty letters after your name. It takes 3 YEARS of study to get a Bachelors Degree, and about the same to become a Member of RICS. This is NOT a qualification - it is a joke. There is NO academic training - any monkey can get it and call themselves a 'Timber and Damp Surveyor'... Don't use anyone who has done a 3 day course and calls themselves a qualified surveyor - they are a fraud.
    Do not let anyone with CSRT or CSSW after their names into your house - they are a fraud. They are NOT a qualified surveyor. It's not even equivalent to an NVQ Level 1 - most of the people I've come across with these so called 'qualifications' are just former builder's labourers.

    Unquote

    We have absolutely no doubt that this is correct but contacted the author of the website a Mr Peter Ward who confirmed there was a very high probability that no Damp existed at our property and more importantly the actions and remedies suggested by the Damp company would actually prevent our property from breathing and potentially fill it with condensation and wet rot in the suspended floor joists.
    Horrified I contacted a Specialist Surveyor recommenced to us by Mr Ward, this was a completely different approach to the PCA Surveyor who took 20 minutes to conclude Dampness by use of a pin point yellow damp meter. The expert took a full four hours examining our property and used a Calcium Carbide moisture analysis method to extract samples from the walls of our property and actually determine the moisture content.
    The results? No moisture or less that 1% on all the elevations the PCA Surveyor had diagnosed a “Failing Damp Course”, his recommendations? Absolutely nothing, the property is in perfect condition protected by an adequate slate Damp Proof Course.
    So I post this warning never use a Damp Surveyor who has a CSRT after his name its completely meaningless and is a three day course given away by the PCA, always ask to see real qualifications such as BSc, MSc, MICB or RICS nothing else is acceptable.
    We could have given the Damp Company £5,000 for destroying our property and reinstating with a system that will damage it further!
    If in doubt contact the experts:
    Heritage House 01746 862 640 or visit http://www.heritage-house.org
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977
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    bildersfried.

    The basic gist of your post is spot on. Unfortunately it is almost unreadable and many people will not plough through that solid text. So here's a simple version:

    * damp proof companies want to sell damp proof courses

    * they send round sales people, disguised as 'surveyors' who recommend damp proof treatment

    * their 'surveyors' have a 3 day training course (they probobly have a 2 week sales training too)

    * many of these surveyors (and even RICS qualified surveyors) use 'damp' meters (which actually measure elecric current, not damp necessarily) to supposedly identify damp

    * a properly qualified, and independant objective damp surveyor has no incentive to identify damp, will take time to survey a property fully, and will not only identify if damp exists, but will find its cause, before proposing a solution.
  • Thanks for that it does sum the situation up!!! and better than our posting.

    Just to let you know the Deputy Chairman of the PCA is actually the Director of Safeguard Chemicals who produce the Damp Proofing products!!!

    Its all one big con to sell chemicals to the public that are not needed.

    Must be close to being illegal and time trading standards took action and banned the PCA for good!
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977
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    Must be close to being illegal and time trading standards took action and banned the PCA for good!
    Half of me agrees. It's a con and the area needs regulation.

    The other half rebels against yet more big brother intervention into what we (as consumers, as business people, bankers, whatever) can/can't do.
  • kingstreet wrote: »
    Get an inspection and report done by an independent specialist surveyor. It will end up saving you money.

    Chances are, you have leaky rainwater goods; soil bridging the damp course or some other minor issue which is causing an increased reading on the chartered surveyor's meter.

    Getting a contractor in is putting the rats in charge of the cheese store. Surprise, surprise you need a new damp course!

    www. independentdampsurveyors.

    The advice is good but your link indicates the surveyors reccommended are members of the Property Care Association. They are the rats, sponsered by the Chemical Industry. The PCA is the very organisation that promotes "rising damp". stop giving them free publicity before even more buildings get hurt. (Just finished a rectification job that had incorporated their methods and made the whole situation worse)
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