Damp proofing guarantee redemption - company AWOL, but still trading!

Hello

I need advice regarding some damp proofing works I've had done about 5 years ago. Almost as soon as it was completed, I could see that the work wasn't carried out sufficiently, and I had the workmen back a couple of times to fix it. However, it hasn't been carried out properly, and the plaster has blown gradually over the past few years.

I have a 25 year guarantee for the damp proofing works. I have had a new person come to quote and the damp reading in the walls shows that the works haven't been effective.

I've contacted the original company via email approx. 10 times over the past 3 years - none of which have been replied to. I can see they are still trading on Company's House and their website still exists and is up to date with recent renovation photos the company has carried out. I've also called them numerous times, but I've had no answer.

In my email, I've said to them that I've got a quote and would either like them to rectify the works, or pay the bill for a new company to do so (I've got a quote for this).

Does anyone have any advice over how to get them to come back and fix the works? Or should they foot the bill? Do I have any rights? Any help and advice gratefully received!

Comments

  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    edited 17 January 2019 at 7:21AM
    Welcome to MSE. It's a baptism of fire, but I'm going to be devil's advocate here. Hold onto your seat.....

    You haven't a damp issue; your problem is condensation caused by your lifestyle. You heat the house insufficiently, don't ventilate enough and probably do things like dry washing indoors at this time of year. No amount of damp-proofing will solve this problem with someone like you, living in an older house.

    It is an older house, I presume?

    The above is the likely defence a company might put up if challenged, though at present they're content to ignore you.

    They will also add that of course this rival company have found damp, because it's in their interests to do so. You haven't had an unbiased, paid-for assessment from an independent damp and timber surveyor with no personal interest, have you? A chap poking about with a moisture meter he could buy in Lidl isn't proof of anything.

    Guarantees of some companies specialising in this sort of work are often suspect, and with good reason, because the remedies they apply are exactly what an old house doesn't need. Modern lifestyles may well exacerbate the issues they create.

    I don't really know your house; you haven't described it or what work was done to it. These omissions are because you thought this was a simple issue of incompetence with rectification by a third party and a claim for compensation. I'm just pointing-out that it's more complex than that, so you may well have an uphill struggle if you go down the legal route.

    Stop emailing. Real letters with proof of delivery are harder to ignore and provide a better paper trail.

    Good luck. Others will be along with their advice shortly. They're welcome to disagree with me and they may even be right!

    Meanwhile, you could give us the details omitted from your post above.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,421
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    Davesnave wrote: »
    You haven't a damp issue; your problem is condensation caused by your lifestyle. You heat the house insufficiently, don't ventilate enough and probably do things like dry washing indoors at this time of year. No amount of damp-proofing will solve this problem with someone like you, living in an older house.

    Alternatively, raised external ground levels that have bridged the DPC, paving slabs butted up against the wall, leaking downpipes, overflowing guttering... There is quite a list of possible causes before we even get to this mythical "rising damp" that these companies claim is the cause of all damp problems.

    For a priceless example of badly diagnosed problems plus totally ineffective "treatment", have a read of this - www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16465

    OP - Is this guarantee backed by insurance, if so, chase the company underwriting the policy. If you paid for any part of the work by credit card, take it up with the card provider.
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  • Thanks for the replies so far... To answer them:

    1900s property. Lower ground floor. North facing. As a result, heating is kept to maintain 18"C, and I crank it up to 21"C when I am in the house (approx. 50% of the time). Run a dehumidifier most of the time I am at home. Dry laundry mainly with dehumidifier in spare room and heating on, using a rack, with the door closed. No mould, no condensation on windows (expect in kitchen when cooking).

    @FreeBear - Guttering is cleared every year (part of my service charge). Plaster that's blown is on interior and exterior walls, so paving slabs and the like unlikely? This also wasn't picked up in my full structural survey when I bought the property c. 5 years ago (yet the rising damp was).

    The blown plaster has only happened to the plaster that was replaced by the works. All other walls are intact. Surely a sign that the works were shoddy?

    I paid via bank transfer so no hope there.

    No evidence on certificate of it being underwritten.

    Thanks for article. Scary how damp proofing seems to be such a racket. Again, as this was cited in my structural survey, it does seem legit that rising damp was the original source, but now the works have caused further issues.

    So to summarise the advice so far:
    - Write to them, rather than email.
    - Get an unbiased survey carried out
    - Investigate if guarantee is underwritten by insurance.

    Thanks again for everyone's honest feedback. I have a thick skin so welcome any other comments! Just want to know if I have a leg to stand on.
  • stator
    stator Posts: 7,441
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    E-mails are easy to ignore.


    What you'll need to do is contact them with a formal letter of complaint.
    If they ignore you then you'll have to take them to court.
    Research pre-court procedures, it's important you do things right.
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  • dotchas
    dotchas Posts: 2,484
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    Could it just be the replaced plaster is faulty?
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  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,776
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    RICS surveyors seem to be in on the racket even if it isn't deliberate. Like a GP recommending a specialist, many surveyors don't seem to have the practical experience of dealing with damp and will refer you, as per their own RICS guidance I guess, to a specialist that works under the PCA or suchlike.

    You then find your own 'specialist' who sells a dud treatment for a problem that may not even exist; could have been fixed very easily in a different way; or essentially warps a plastic bag around something that is wet, meaning it can't dry out.

    If you'd post some photos inside and out, we could have a look and see if we can come up with a plausible theory for what is going wrong. There's little point in asking the same people to rectify the issue in the same way if that way doesn't work.
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