Free survey
A specialist finds the cause, not just the symptom.
At a glance
Which survey?
Four surveys, each answering a different question. Most people start with the first.
Free
Best forDamp patches, mould, condensation or a musty smell.
Looks atWalls, floors, ventilation, gutters, pointing, ground levels and the roof.
You getWritten findings within 48 hours.
Free
Best forSoft floors, rot, woodworm holes or a musty smell beneath the floor.
Looks atFloors, joists, roof timbers, window frames and doors.
You getWritten findings within 48 hours.
Free
Best forLeaks after rain, slipped slates, tired gutters or chimneys.
Looks atEvery slate, chimney, valley and gutter, from the air.
You getPhotographs and findings in writing within 48 hours.
Fee
Best forBuying a home, or knowing the condition of all of it.
Looks atThe whole property, to the RICS Home Survey Standard, at Level 1, 2 or 3.
You getA RICS Home Survey report from a Chartered Surveyor.
Also free: pre-purchase damp and timber reports, and second opinions. With a fee: electronic leak detection (ELD).
What’s included
The drone
If the roof is part of the story, a drone photographs every slate, chimney and gutter. No ladders, no scaffolding, nothing missed.
Thermal imaging
A thermal camera shows the cold spots and hidden moisture the eye cannot see, so we know exactly where to look closer.
Yours to keep, and to take elsewhere for a second opinion.
Your findings
Readings, photographs and findings, explained plainly. Yours to keep, and to take elsewhere for a second opinion.
The honest answer
That sentence costs us work. We’d rather lose the job than sell you the wrong one.
Why the survey is freeHow it works
Choose a day here, or call us on 0330 520 2584. We confirm the time by phone.
A specialist looks at the whole building, inside and out, and explains what they see as they go.
In writing within 48 hours. Itemised costs come last, and only where work is justified.
Questions
Often, yes. Ours is built the other way round.
We diagnose the cause, not the symptom. You get the evidence, in writing, yours to take for a second opinion. And the price comes last. Never in the same breath as the diagnosis.
If you don’t need damp proofing, we’ll tell you.
Yes. The survey is free and there is no obligation to instruct us afterwards. The only surveys we charge for are RICS Home Surveys and electronic leak detection (ELD).
It is free because it is how we earn the chance to do the work. That is exactly why we put everything in writing and leave the decision with you.
A specialist looks at the whole building, inside and out: walls, floors, ventilation, gutters and downpipes, pointing, ground levels and the roof line. We take moisture readings, use a thermal camera where it helps and fly a drone over the roof if it is needed.
You then have our readings, photographs and findings in writing within 48 hours.
It depends on the size of the home and what we find. We give you a time window when we confirm your booking, and we never rush the diagnosis.
No. The survey is non-intrusive. Where it would help to see inside a wall or beneath a floor, for example with a small inspection camera, we explain why and only go ahead with your permission.
True rising damp shows low on ground-floor walls, usually no higher than about a metre, and only where moisture can climb from the ground. Many patches blamed on rising damp turn out to be condensation, a leak or a path raised against the wall.
Historic England, RICS and the Property Care Association set out the same principle in their joint position statement: find the cause of the moisture before any remedial work, rather than treating the symptom.
Source: Historic England, Investigation of moisture and its effects on traditional buildings
No. Electrical moisture meters are a useful first screen, but salts in old walls can push their readings up, so they cannot diagnose rising damp on their own. We read them alongside everything else the building tells us.
Source: Historic England, Investigation of moisture and its effects on traditional buildings
Government guidance says damp and mould mainly affect the airways and lungs, and can also affect the eyes and skin. Some people are more at risk, including people with asthma or other lung conditions and people with weakened immune systems.
The answer is to remove the mould and deal with the moisture that feeds it, so it does not come back.
Source: GOV.UK, Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home
Everyday life puts moisture into the air: cooking, washing, bathing, drying clothes indoors, even breathing. When that air meets a cold wall or window, it turns back into water, and mould follows.
It is fixed by moving moist air out at the source, with extractor fans or positive input ventilation, and by keeping surfaces warmer. We size the fix to the room, not to a catalogue.
If your surveyor or lender recommends a specialist damp and timber report, we can provide one free. Book it before you exchange so the findings can still shape your decision. If you need a RICS Home Survey as well, we offer Level 1, 2 and 3, carried out by Chartered Surveyors, for a fee.
In a rented home, putting damp and mould right is usually your landlord’s responsibility. The survey is free for your landlord or letting agent, so send them this page or ask them to call us on 0330 520 2584.
If you live in social housing, Awaab’s Law now sets legal timescales for your landlord to investigate and fix damp and mould.
Source: GOV.UK, Awaab’s Law: guidance for tenants in social housing
Last. The findings come first, and itemised costs follow only where work is justified. The decision is entirely yours.
Yes. The report is yours to keep, and to take to anyone else for a second opinion or a comparison.
Our treated works carry a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee, IBG Term 10, transferable with the property. It covers the treated works set out in your written guarantee and is included as standard. Because it is insurance-backed, it stands even if we cease to trade.
Every London borough, and anywhere within the M25. Further afield, call us on 0330 520 2584 and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help.
