Did damp surveyor lie? 100% damp in my wall.

endoffeather

Our neighbour planned to tank the other side of our party wall and wouldn't listen to our concerns that it's cause more damp our side.

After five weeks of ignoring us, she told us she'd be going ahead and it was tough if our side got damaged. Our solicitor sent a legal letter and works halted.

Her contractor finally agreed to inject instead of tanking but said he wanted to survey our side of the wall to see how much damp there is to protect himself. Obviously we wanted an independent surveyor so the neighbour got a csrt one as requested.

The independent surveyor spent half an hour round her house being given a sob story then came to ours being very hostile accusing me of being obstructive and told me our wall has 100% damp. 100%!! Then left. No proper measuring to see how bad it high the damp was no writing anything down.

I used my own damp Meter and put it in the wall in the same three spots. It said 21, 10 and 16, still damp but not 100%.

I'm so upset by this. Is 100% even possible? The walls seen find to us? Are they just lying to protect the neighbour.

I expected the salesman to do a dodgy survey but not these registered ones.

I'm shocked.

What would you advise I do next?

I really want my neighbours works to start ASAP so she can get her house finished. I feel bad for her even though she was pretty horrid to us. So I'm upset that these lies may cause delays for her too

Gordon_Hose

Lodge a complaint about the surveyor to the body that governs him.

I don't known why he would protect the neighbour is he was paid to carry out an independent survey. It doesn't make any sense.

DRP

Nope it doesn't make sense.

Don't believe anyone who sticks a prong-meter into the wall - it isnt reliable.

http://www.heritage-house.org/the-ping-prong-meter-guilty-of-fraud.html
http://www.heritage-house.org/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

MisterBaxter

The prong type meters give an indication but any surface moisture or salts will give a reading so they aren't to be relied on. There are meters that involve drilling holes and inserting probes which give a reading deeper in the wall so they at least avoid some of the issues of surface water/salts. We used to do the calcium carbide 'Speedy' test for proper results and I would have thought that an independent surveyor would have used this type of testing, assuming it is still being used (Speedy may have been a trade name, it's been a while).

If your neighbour appointed the surveyor, how independent are they? When the report comes in raise your concerns with whatever trade body they are affiliated to, this may or may not get results as often these trade bodes are set up and paid for by their members so are supportive of their members.

It may be worth raising the issue with your buildings insurer; although they most likely wont cover for existing damp they may give you some legal cover if work done by your neighbour creates or exacerbates a problem in your home.

Annie1960

Is this work covered by the Party Wall Act? If so, you should choose your own surveyor, and your neighbour will have to pay. Your solicitor should advise you if the work is covered by the Party Wall Act. What did your solicitor put in the letter that made your neighbour stop the work? Was the Party Wall Act mentioned?

What sort of damp surveyor was it? If it was just someone from a damp company, there are many rogues operating in this field, they are not qualified surveyors.

endoffeather

Thanks everyone.

I really do feel like reporting the surveyor because it doesn't seem right at all to me. Why would anyone just take the neighbour's side like that.

Sorry for taking a couple of days to reply all this has just really got to me and knocked my anxiety levels up far more than it really should.

I'm wondering if the extra surveyor who came along as in fact the contractor who's doing the works. I may be paranoid but I suddenly realised he had a very similar manner to when I spoke to him on the phone.

the solicitor didn't say anything about the party wall. When the letter was sent the planned works were still tanking and the contractor kept saying he didn't need the party wall act for that.

Now drilling is planned all involved On the neighbour's side are putting pressure on me not to slow things down by asking for a party wall notice so the neighbour can have the works done ASAP.

I did think more intensive tests could be done and did request them.

I feel like appointing my own surveyor and just paying for it. Then they'll truly be independent. I can't afford it but I feel it would help.

Thanks again. You've really helped reassure me

endoffeather

Ps it was an independent surveyor supposedly not attached to a damp proofing company.

However she bought someone with her and it was this man who made the crazy readings of 100%.

I am starting to wonder if he was the damp proofer who is doing the works as he was keen to do the survey on our wall but I refused because he isn't a real surveyor. I expected him to come in and lie to protect himself. Surely the surveyor wouldn't have allowed him to come with her though?!

It's so strange

endoffeather

Really helpful link thank you (especially as we still have old lead paint under several layers of paint on our walls. We didn't strip it after discovering it on the first bit we did because I was pregnant when we decorated).

The man who said it was 100% wouldn't even shoe it be in the wall... He held it against his hand and said let me show you how this works. Then walked away from me and left the house.

Real salesman tactic! I wish I'd thought more on my feet to quiz him but I was holding a crying baby at the time and trying to keep an eye on the toddler too.

MisterBaxter

Party Wall Act will apply if the neighbour is drilling in to the wall. You could use this to either halt the works until you are satisfied that it wont be of detriment to your property or you can at least use it to delay works until you have had a chance to have your own survey done. It may not go down well with the neighbour but you need to protect your interests and given the way in which the companies they have appointed have dealt with you so far it's not unreasonable to question their professionalism.

The obvious problem is that if surveys in your home show up damp before any work starts next door there will be little recourse afterwards as it will be difficult to show that your damp was caused or has been made worse by the work done next door. At least you could look at having work done in your own home at the same time.

Also consider the implications of Party Wall on potential future property sales. I have heard of Solicitors asking for copies of the Party Wall Agreement as part of the conveyancing process; I don't know how common this is and what effect it may have on the conveyancing process but it is worth checking (it may be more of an issue to your neighbour than you).

zaax

Tanking will not solve the underlying problem and eventually the wall will just crumb and collapse.
I suggest you lift a floor board and see what's underneath

endoffeather

Thanks for the advice. I will certainly check that about the Party Wall notices. Does sound like something conveyances ta may pick up on.

I'm just worried it will delay the works and thinking about it that if we ask for a notice for the drilling, they'll just tank.

I was hoping a survey of our could note the level of damp and how high it goes.

If they tanked and the damp for much much worse and went much much higher very quickly - to the extent that we absolutely had to do something about it because all the paper was peeling off(!) - wouldn't that be obviously caused by the tanking?

I'm not talking getting a bit worse or going a bit progressively higher but getting horrendously bad. That's we want to protect ourselves against... The very worst.

As the house is 140 years old and hasn't got worse in the five years we lived here, it'd be a bit weird for it to get horrendously worse overnight unless something caused it. Wouldn't it?

Or would it really be that hard up prove?

Would a surveyor be happy to state the current level of damp so we can use it to compare the state of the wall in future?

An I asking the impossible?