Cavity Wall Insulation - Damp/Damage Claims

Furts

dws_72 wrote: »

Really not sure what you mean by lifestyle issues.
The people that owned the house before were an elderly couple. We have 4 in our household. Me my wife and 2 teenage girls
We always open windows to keep the moisture down.
Always open the window in the bathroom when showering or bath.
Even in the summer when its lovely and warm. There can be moisture on the windows on the morning sometimes.

Do not shoot the messenger - I am only giving you a typical answer. I have asked but you have not commented on whether problems existed before you purchased your home. Neither does anybody know whether the previous owners had prepared and checked the home to be suitable for CWI. These are two areas you need to have answers on.

Coupled with your analysis will be effective bathroom extract, plus any shower room, likewise kitchen. Then trickle vents and any heating extract. To this add a new topic which is maintenance of the home. If wet is getting into the structure then how is this happening? What checks have been undertaken here?

By all means contact CIGA, but if they come along and point out obvious issues then your claim will be rejected and you are no further forward in getting a resolution. Hence do your homework first. Basically forewarned is forearmed.

welshtrumpeter

hi all ,
what is longest someone has been in litigation with an insulation company?

We have been in the process for 16 months. An independent RICS surveyor put a figure of £55k of reinstatement works required back in October, after which we have had a severe winter causing further deterioration. The walls are so saturated that the electrical back boxes have corroded causing them to fall out of the wall, posing a risk of electrocution / fire. Following this we had to move out of our home and I suffered a nervous breakdown in the process.

The insulation company have tried the lifestyle angle and only carried out their own survey / took a look after 15 months had passed! They have now based their defence on replacement windows and house alterations being done post CWI insulation. This is a lie that luckily I can disprove by certification and photographs. They are now saying that our damp proof course has failed and has caused the problem. We now know that there are voids in the insulation and that there is significant rubble in the cavity that they didn't pick up on with a pre-install survey. We are about to have thermal imaging and boroscope conducted next week so hope that this will fully destroy their defence.

After what my family and I have been through I fully intend to lobby parliament to get CIGA taken over my an impartial body to ensure that consumer's complaints are treated fairly. How can CIGA be impartial if the managing body are the owners / managers of the installation companies?!! I count myself as a strong minded resilient person and it broke me back in November - so I dread to think what this has done for the more vulnerable people out there. I hope to help others once our case is settled.

CIGA_BEAVER

I've been trying to post on this for some time now , now I can .

{Text removed by MSE Forum Team}All houses have a cavity wall for a reason . If you fill it with CWI and you live near, or next to the Seaside the wind and rain will track across into your house and cause, damp, black Mold, health problems and property damage .

Because the Gov of the day, trusted companies to do what they should have done, professionally and more importantly honestly. Both didn't happen, greed and quick cash drove this forward. The Gov, informed all installers it could not go forward unless all work was guaranteed, along came the private profit making company CIGA, although insist they are not for profit.

All recipients of CWI, had it installed, because on paper it made sense to have it done, not realising the possible consequences . CIGA are well aware of this aftermath and because, it's a for profit making company, are very reluctant to make redress or honour it's Guarantee ( is scumbags a word for them ? ) Check out who their Directors and investors are . {Text removed by MSE Forum Team}

Recap.
Should not have installed CWI in properties in Coastal areas ( as per energy saving trusts advice ) .
Should have done a survey before it was installed, most installers did not.
Wrong CWI installed to some properties .
Guarantee , not worth the paper it's written on.
{Text removed by MSE Forum Team}

All I can say is , sorry for not being a buildings Surveyor and putting trust in others. {Text removed by MSE Forum Team} Sorry for all the Alarm and distress CIGA have caused us all, who thought you would put things right with your Guarantee .

The only way out of this mess, is no win no fee Solicitors and sue . I'm in the processes of looking for a good one as I type ( anyone ? ) . Don't do what I did and waste 2 yrs trying to get CIGA to honour it's Guarantee . They won't, and send you in the direction of arbitration, which costs you £100 + VAT . The arbitration are also for profit company. They want their £120.00 up front before they'll even look at it. Don't you just love Democracy

gogsysul

I to am looking for ano win no fee solicitor, if anyone got any phone numbers, I am situated in Wales. I can’t live with this damp no more, I can’t afford to remove it, and more importantly my health is suffering (chest breathing difficulties) so if anyone has got a phone number, I’d be more than grateful...I am situated in Wales. Thanks :beer:

Cavitywallfiasco1

Dear all

Having suffered significant harm to my home after cavity wall insulation I would urge people to avoid this hideous insulation at all costs. CIGA were most obstructive and tried to blame anything and everyone as long as they don’t pay. I am very suspicious of claims companies. CIVALLI have been very helpful. They are victims too. My MP has been very helpful and written letters etc. This is such a scandal.

majidzahoor

I am a newbie, please help.
I had same issues from CWI and after a cold call I let claim people visit my house. They carried out a complete survey and identified CWI as the source of problem. It was done in 2015 and the company who did CWI are liquidated now. Anyways, the surveying company then passed my claim to solicitors who visited my house few weeks ago and had the claim signed for 25% plus VAT, which I accepted. They then asked my to sign loan agreement with company called Novitas and assured my that under no circumstances I will be liable for loan as the legal expenses cover would cover it but it didn't sound right. I hired an online solicitor who reviewed the loan agreement and advised me not to sign it as it didn't sound right. Also let's say in two years time, if I want to sell the house and claim is still ongoing, I will be liable for the loan. I called the claim company solicitors and told them that I can't find their solicitors through this loan and they have now told me that they are to close the claim as they can't work on it unless I sign the loan.
We have damp issues and mould on some walls which appeared after the CWI. What are my options? Is there any good solicitors for no win no fee? Thank you.

Grotdog

We are a chartered survey company who are probably the leading specialists in damp problems in the country. We've seen this issue start to grow, and have known and supported Civalli since the early days. Anyone reading this needs to understand that there is a very powerful lobby - the chemical industry - that funds ciga - and sells all the insulation, through various government 'schemes', which ultimately are funded by the big 6 energy companies, who pay dearly.. Hence high electric bills. Ultimately, dampness problems are due to trapped moisture and elevated temperatures - which of course is what CWI can cause. Properly diagnosing what is wrong and specifiying a solution is NOT the capability of ciga - they employ monkeys who are untrained idiots. The entire system is broken, and a lot of people are having their lives ruined. There's information here for those who may have been affected, or look at the CIVALLI website - or the Heritage House website - look for the section on cavity wall insulation - But my advice to anyone who thinks they are affected - get a specialist in moisture problems - do NOT look in the internet and get a PCA damp wally chemical salesman to come and tell you that a new damp course is needed - you need a chartered surveyor with knowledge. Ciga will do everything they can to avoid any admission of guilt, and blame any issues on things like faulty pointing, broken gutters, high ground levels, and so on... Be careful, do your research!!

busbybuilders

Grotdog wrote: »

We are a chartered survey company who are probably the leading specialists in damp problems in the country. We've seen this issue start to grow, and have known and supported Civalli since the early days. Anyone reading this needs to understand that there is a very powerful lobby - the chemical industry - that funds ciga - and sells all the insulation, through various government 'schemes', which ultimately are funded by the big 6 energy companies, who pay dearly.. Hence high electric bills. Ultimately, dampness problems are due to trapped moisture and elevated temperatures - which of course is what CWI can cause. Properly diagnosing what is wrong and specifiying a solution is NOT the capability of ciga - they employ monkeys who are untrained idiots. The entire system is broken, and a lot of people are having their lives ruined. There's information here for those who may have been affected, or look at the CIVALLI website - or the Heritage House website - look for the section on cavity wall insulation - But my advice to anyone who thinks they are affected - get a specialist in moisture problems - do NOT look in the internet and get a PCA damp wally chemical salesman to come and tell you that a new damp course is needed - you need a chartered surveyor with knowledge. Ciga will do everything they can to avoid any admission of guilt, and blame any issues on things like faulty pointing, broken gutters, high ground levels, and so on... Be careful, do your research!!

Good to see PW posting here. Is there any reason why this problem cannot be treated in the same way as being misold PPI? Maybe I'm being too simple but I'm certain there's an expert legal eagle on here who can guide CIVALLI in that direction.

CIGA_BEAVER

I suggest, you read the CIGA guarantee fully, it will answer your question for you.

tododo

I too have damp issues due to lack of wooden subfloor ventilation

Luckily we spotted the problem earlyish - we had to replace one joist and treat timbers and floor with boron

As we were building new extension we put numerous vents to the subfloor at the same time so hopefully the main problem is solved

However I would still like to get the stuff out from a 1930s semi

It should never gone in the first place

Just fired off an email to CIGA just to see what they say - ideally dont want to pay to get the stuff sucked out aswell - rip off