HELP - neighbour raised his patio above my blue bricks..

jogordon

...and now I have the most hideous damp in my kitchen.
This has been going on for years and I am at my wits end. I've had builders, damp experts, even environmental health come to look at the problem - they ALL say it's because he's raised his new patio above my blue bricks, he says No! He says cos he built it 'block and beam' so it's 'hollow' underneath, it can't cause damp, so he hasn't caused the problem. But all the experts say he has - and the damp only extends as far as his patio! I've no damp in last 1.5 metres of my kitchen...the 1.5 metres that extend after his patio ends. My house is over 100 years old and I have no damp anywhere else at all. But he just won't have it. I don't know what else I can do...can anyone help me please?? I've thrown nearly £1000 at this over the last few years, but nothing fixes it. I haven't been able to repaint in my kitchen, its an absolute mess and I don't know how to sort it.
I'm a single mum, he's a bully, please help if you can. Be grateful for any advice at all. Thanks so much.

Doozergirl

Your home insurance? It's certainly something beyond your control.

Either his side gets fixed or yours has to be tanked.

teneighty

If you have had a string of experts blame the neighbour's new patio did they explain the actual mechanics of exactly how it is happening?

Is it the patio bridging the damp proof course and causing penetrating and/or rising damp, is it rain splash saturating the base of the wall causing penetrating damp etc. etc. ?

What is the construction of the wall? Solid or cavity? If it has an engineering brick DPC I suspect solid.

angelpye

Think its worth giving your home insurance a call to see if you have legal cover. When I renewed mine recently they said I would be covered for disputes with neighbours - mine can be a bit resistant to maintenance so wanted to make sure in case anything happens to my house because they have not acted.

Grenage

Have you got any pictures?

Assuming the patio is against your wall, and above the DPC, then yes it would be a likely cause of damp. I'd check home insurance for legal cover, and if you've got it, let your neighbour know that you're going to take him to court - unless he decides to sort it out now.

phil24_7

As above. Check your insurance documents and contact your ensurer if you have legal cover. They will be able to instruct a solicitor to write a letter (and more if necessary) on your behalf.

Do you have any evidence that the previous companies have all blamed the patio? If not, see if they would be so kind as to provide a brief letter stating that in their trained/specialist opinion, the damp is being caused by next doors patio being above your DPC etc.

FreeBear

teneighty wrote: »

What is the construction of the wall? Solid or cavity? If it has an engineering brick DPC I suspect solid.

The OP said the property is over 100 years old - Very likely it is solid brick, so tanking is not going to be a viable long term solution. All tanking will do is push the damp to another area.

It needs fixing at the source. But with an intransigent neighbour, it may well require legal action which would get very expensive.

lstar337

As said before, this is quite simple as you have done the leg work all ready.

All you need to do is compile all the evidence you have gathered from all your experts into a single document and send it along to your neighbour with a Letter Before Action. Explain what you want resolved and by when.

It is likely that the 'threat' of legal action is enough when combined with the evidence provided by experts. If it isn't, then speak to your insurance company and get them to help you with the legal side and take him to court. His stubbornness will soon fade when faced with legal action.