Damp survey and diagnosis in London
On a wall, rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation can look almost identical, yet each needs a completely different fix — get it wrong and you’ve wasted money without touching the real problem. Our survey uses a moisture meter, a visual inspection and, where it’s relevant, a look outside for the source, and it ends with a written report before anyone talks about treatment.
- Gas Safe registered and fully insured
- DBS-checked engineers
- Emergency callout available 24/7
- Price agreed before work starts
- Workmanship guaranteed
Monday – Sunday, 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM · Out-of-hours emergency? Call 020 3576 5825
Get a price for damp survey & diagnosis
Three details get an engineer moving. The rest is optional.
Thanks — we’ve got it
We’ll come back to you on the number you gave us. If it’s urgent and you’d rather not wait, call 020 3576 5825.
What this includes
- Moisture meter readings and visual inspection
- Identifying rising, penetrating or condensation damp
- Tracing the external cause — guttering, render, ground level, DPC
- Written report with findings and recommended action
- Pre-purchase damp surveys for house buyers
- Independent second opinion on an existing damp report
Worth knowing first
Some of this may save you a callout entirely. We would rather tell you than not.
A damp-proofing quote without a survey is a guess
If a company offers a fixed-price damp-proofing course before inspecting the property, that is a sales process, not a diagnosis. The treatment for rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation are all different, and using the wrong one does not fix anything.
A moisture meter reading needs interpreting, not just reading
Plaster, paint and even some modern building materials read as "damp" on a surface meter for reasons that have nothing to do with actual moisture ingress. A reading on its own is not a diagnosis — what matters is the pattern, the height, and whether it matches an external cause.
True rising damp is rarer than it is diagnosed
Most old buildings without a damage-proof course cope fine for decades. A lot of what gets labelled rising damp is actually penetrating damp from a defect above ground, or condensation from poor ventilation — both cheaper to fix and easier to prevent recurring.
A pre-purchase survey pays for itself once
A period property survey that misses a damp issue is a cost discovered after completion. Commissioning your own damp survey alongside a building survey is a small outlay against that risk.
Common questions
How long does a survey take?
Typically an hour to ninety minutes for a single property, depending on how many rooms are affected and whether the external walls need checking too.
Do you charge for the survey if I don’t go ahead with treatment?
The survey is a standalone service and is priced as such — you are not committed to any further work by having one done.
Can you survey a property before I buy it?
Yes, and it does not need to wait for exchange — many buyers commission this alongside their building survey during the offer stage.
I already have a damp report from another company. Can you check it?
Yes, a second opinion on an existing report or quoted treatment is a normal request and we are glad to do it.
If it turns out to be plumbing
Where the cause is a leak or a pipe rather than damp itself, these are the pages that cover it.
-
General Plumbing
Taps, toilets, radiators and pipework. The jobs that never quite get done.
More on General Plumbing -
Leak Detection
Hidden leaks traced with acoustic and thermal equipment, before floors come up.
More on Leak Detection
Damp and condensation, the other pages
Need damp survey & diagnosis in London?
Tell us what’s happening and where you are, and we’ll tell you what it costs before anyone starts work.