Welcome to the UK Damp and Decay website where you get honest, practical and understandable advice on all aspects of the diagnosis and control of dampness and timber decay.

We offer independent damp and timber surveys which will accurately diagnose any dampness or decay problems together with chemical free, environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions.

You have no doubt trawled through several sites on damp-proofing and timber treatments and by now are familiar with the cause and cures for rising dampness, woodworm, dry rot and other forms of fungal decay.

Most damp-proofing and timber treatments arise at the behest of Building Societies and their Surveyors' reports during the buying and selling process or for re-mortgaging purposes. The question is whether these treatments are really necessary.

Dampness and timber decay are invariably highlighted in a pre-purchase survey by Building Surveyors working on behalf of mortgage providers. The surveyor will generally recommend that a damp and timber report be obtained from a suitably qualified specialist or BWPDA or Property Care Association member firm. Many Estate Agents have informal arrangements with damp-proofing/timber treatment firms whereby the remedial company will carry out a 'free survey' on the property and submit a report with their recommendations. Commission-based salesmen carry out most of these surveys and some defects will invariably be found and an estimate for carrying out the works will be included with your report.

Much of this work is unnecessary as rising dampness is often assumed to be the problem when it may in fact be condensation or penetrating damp, due to raised ground levels etc., and these two problems can usually be remedied at a fraction of the cost of remedial works.

Most of the houses that we survey have had a physical damp-proof course fitted at the time of construction. This will usually be slate for older houses and for houses built after the 1930’s it is often bitumen. These physical damp-proof courses will still be effective on controlling rising damp and there should never be any need to install a chemical damp-proof course. Even if there is no damp-proof course present then ‘rising damp’ can be controlled by ensuring that the take up of moisture from the ground is less than the evaporation rate from walls by installing drainage channels etc to remove any moisture reservoir effect.

Similarly woodworm and fungal infestations are usually confined to damp timbers and can be controlled by the removal of the dampness without resorting to the use of toxic chemicals.

The works recommended after the 'free survey' can often result in the buyer seeking a reduction in the price of the property or even withdrawing their offer.

Instead of waiting for a purchaser to have a 'free damp and timber survey' it would be prudent for anyone selling their property to have your own independent survey undertaken to find the real extent of any suspected dampness and timber defects.

We can provide a detailed report on any dampness and timber infestation issues, which may arise as an obstacle to the sale of your house.

Our fees for surveying a property and providing a report range can be found here, and vary depending on the duration and complexity of the survey and in approximately 90% of properties surveyed resulted in no remedial work being required therefore substantial savings compared to the average cost of damp-proofing and woodworm treatment to a house, which can easily exceed £4,000.

Usually the work involved to rectify any dampness or timber decay problems are fairly straightforward and may just involve reducing external ground levels and installing extra air bricks and can be carried out by a competent general builder without resorting to any specialist contractors but we can also carry out the works and deduct the survey fee will be deducted from the final invoice.

If any damp-proofing or timber treatments are required then this work will be covered by long term guarantees issued through the Guarantee Protection Trust. These are the only insured guarantees which are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Building Societies and other lending institutions accept all our reports and findings as a certificate of integrity of the house with regard to dampness and timber defects as a suitable alternative to previously obligatory guarantees.

We cover the whole of mainland U.K. and surveys can be arranged at short notice, usually 2 to 3 days and reports can be e-mailed within a day of the survey being carried out.

If you require an independent survey and assessment of any damp or timber related problems please phone 0800 028 1903 or contact us by e-mail on enquiries@ukdamp.co.uk

If you don't need a full damp or timber survey then we can still help with our 'survey lite' option. Our surveyors can carry out brief but comprehensive inspections to give you peace of mind from as little as £250.00. If any work is required this fee is deducted from our final invoice.

Please don’t contact us if you want a free survey or estimate as there are plenty of other firms who are willing to do this for you but if you want some advice over the phone regarding any aspect of dampness or timber decay then please call 07736 631527 to speak to a surveyor.

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