Damp Surveys Ltd

Simon was very professional and polite. Everything was explained to me and solutions offered on the site visit. A hygrometer was left in situ for me to report the readings back. It was not a leaking pipe like I thought it might be. I was informed by a few friends that it may not be rising damp and that if I asked for 3 quotes, which I was going to do, they would all probably give me a quote for work that I may not need. As it happens I do not need that work and am taking measures to keep the situation in check. I am so grateful to have found Simon.

We instructed Simon to carry out a general survey to check for any possible damp as we were going to have a decoration planned . It was a seamless process to make an appointment and Simon arrived on time and communication was spot on. Simon explained to us the process of his survey and used various tools during his survey and was also providing us with simple reasons for eg.moisture reading , cold surface walls by using his tools. The survey was not rushed and Simon was very diligent and did not leave any area of the property un inspected ( internal and external) He is an independent surveyor and has various YouTube videos and is evident that his survey was very honest and thorough. He provided us with a very cost effective and sensible assessment and remidial measure to implement. We were very pleased by his survey and reccomended him without any hesitation.-Thank you

Simon arrived at the specified time and did a thorough and professional investigation into our concerns re: damp in the ground floor of our house. During the survey Simon explained carefully the problems that we needed to address and how to proceed. At all times, he was polite, friendly and engendered confidence. His feedback was prompt and immensely helpful; what we thought was rising damp is, in fact, much less costly. We are starting to implement his recommendations and are glad to have procured his services.

I can highly recommend Damp Surveys Ltd and Simon. His knowledge and expertise were just what I needed to diagnose the causes of penetrating damp in my Victorian terrace. His thoroughness and clarity mean that I feel confident in the courses of action I can take - including different options for short to longer term damp protection and future prevention. His approach is comprehensive, looking at all instances and evidence of damp around the building. Simon provided a video recording and detailed summary of the survey, with clear explanations and recommendations. As Simon operates independently and does not sell any other services, I felt that his advice and recommendations are completely impartial. Thank you, Simon!

We contacted Simon after receiving a quote from a contractor for £6000 to carry out roof repairs to remedy a damp issue. Simon carried out a full, thorough survey of the house, was able to identify the actual cause of the problem, determine no building work was required and recommend various other methods to not only clear this up but deal with any damp issues in the future. We're already noticing results a few weeks later, cannot recommend highly enough.

Found it impossible to contact this company by phone despite their listing a business telephone number and working hours. Requested a survey via their online form, only to be sent a cool brief email informing the surveyor is working outside of London and they cannot help. No we are booked until such a time with offering a booking at a later date etc, just a flat “computer says no… Goodbye!” attitude basically. Surely they shouldn’t be advertising if they are unable to accept any bookings at this time?

Having spent several thousands on repointing an external wall to solve what seemed to be an invasive damp problem for it only to return we contacted Simon via Which Trusted traders . It has proved to be the best decision as he diagnosed the problem almost immediately and saved us a considerable amount of money and building upheaval. His service was thorough, informative and understandable. He followed up with video and written reports outlining the measures to deal with the issue. Highly recommend.

We have a few patches of what appear to be damp. Previously I have asked advice from builders, all of whom have come up with different ideas and have suggested different costly solutions. Given that none of them have agreed on a diagnosis or solution, I decided to seek the advice of an expert, and to pay for a damp survey from Damp Surveys Ltd, reasoning that the fee was a good investment in relation to the amount I might otherwise pay on a "repair" that was of no use. Simon visited, conducted a careful investigation of the house, interested not only the state of the walls but also our use of the property - do we use the extractor fan when cooking, how do we dry clothes, etc. Afterwards, he sent a long and detailed report, with recommendations which focused not on costly building work, but on ventilation and condensation. Yes, we're going to install new extractor fans and buy some dehumidifiers, and yes we intend to be more careful about how we dry clothes etc. But these costs are minor compared to the amounts we might have ended up paying. We feel this damp survey was a really good investment in the maintenance of our property, and it has set our minds at ease.

Sometime before the appointment Simon advised me to purchase some data loggers (~£20 for 3) and where to place them. On the day, he explained exactly what he was doing and how and why. I have to say I found this most interesting and instructive. The main culprit was eventually identified as a very slight leek from the main stopcock which was over 70 years old and very hard to turn off/on. Data from the three loggers was uploaded to Simon for further analysis and his final report. He also suggested advising Thames Water to check their valve in the street as it wouldn't turn a full 90 degrees to turn off the supply. Simon's very professional and friendly survey took about 90 minutes. The stopcock has now been repaired.

In retrospect one of the best decisions I have made. My house has had trouble with internal damp and we were concerned the issue was serious. I looked around and rapidly came to the decision that getting the problem properly examined would save time and money. I could not have been more pleased with the expertise and professionalism of Simon. There was no guessing and his data driven, scientific approach was exactly what I had hoped for. It meant that if the problems had been more serious I would have known what the solution was rather than spending money and time on unnecessary work. The peace of mind we have received from his report has been immeasurable. I would recommend this service.

Having had extensive roofing work done in the summer, as I was advised to do, to fix a leak coming through the ceiling of an upstairs room, I was aghast to see that the leak had reappeared a little while later, just after I had the room redecorated ! Thus it was a relief to find Simon, of Damp Surveys Ltd, an independent surveyor specialising in finding the causes of damp in buildings, to give me a professional and unbiased opinion as to the source of my problem. Arriving exactly at the time agreed, I was impressed by the detailed care Simon took in examining the area both inside and out, and by his questions to elicit all possible relevant details. By the end of his visit he was able to collate all the evidence and give me an immediate first assessment which was both helpful and reassuring. This was followed up a short time later by a written and video report, and by constructive proposals for remedying the situation. I found the visit and subsequent report to be extremely worthwhile, and have already recommended Damp Surveys to a friend. Simon is an impressive person, both in his extensive knowledge of his speciality, and in his kindness and desire to help his clients as much as possible.

I had discovered mould in a bedroom in my ground floor flat. It appeared initially just above the skirting boards but was clearly worsening and spreading upwards. After initially searching for specialist builders and damp proofing companies I found details and excellent reviews for Damp Surveys, and arranged a site visit and survey. The survey was done to the agreed schedule and budget. Simon arrived on time (to the minute!), and was careful, considerate and helpful throughout the visit. He went above and beyond what I'd expected, fixing a couple of problems there and then. Communication was clear and consistent prior to the visit, during the visit and afterwards. Emails were answered promptly. With the help, advice and very detailed report I received, I'm able to manage the situation myself and currently have no signs of damp or mould at all. I don't need the services of a builder or damp proofing contractor. It's difficult to calculate how much money I've saved (my guess is a LOT) because I didn't get as far as seeking quotations, but I consider the Damp Surveys fees excellent value for money – an investment even.

Simon provided a very prompt and detailed assessment of our damp wall (house bombed during the war). After having spent many months trying to figure out the cause of our damp and receiving various quotes for works to be carried out it was great to finally find someone who was independent and had the extensive required to identify the root causes of our problem. Simon has likely saved us tens of thousands of pounds and we are so glad to have found him!

We'd already had another company give a damp survey at our property and was told it's rising and penetrating damp all over the place, but with no other details when asked 'why?' We decided to get a 2nd opinion with Simon before spending £5k. Prior to his visit we installed sensors as requested and then Simon came and gave a thorough inspection of the property. He was able to identify a few areas we could remedy quickly (condensation on pipes / cracks in tiles etc) as well as identifying the root cause of the penetrating damp (crack in render). We haven't completely solved the smell, but doing the work we were suggested by the other company wouldn't have either. Would definitely recommend!

We would definitely recommend commissioning a damp survey from Simon Hitchens before undertaking any work related to signs of damp. We were concerned about some signs of damp which appeared during the winter in an area where we had had a treatment for rising damp 10 years ago. The company that did the work has since ceased trading so we looked for another source of help. We saw recommendations of Simon on social media and read what he had to say about rising damp, and the way it is overdiagnosed, and decided to get him to do a survey before we took further action. Simon analysed the problem using various methods, including hygrometers which we installed and are still using. We were pleased to find that we do not have rising damp and that there are some relatively simple steps we could start immediately with beneficial effects. He has also given us advice for the longer term. We initially found some of Simon's explanations a little too technical for our level of understanding, but are very pleased at his response when we raised this and he translated some of the graphs into plain English for us.

Simon was extremely knowledgeable and provided excellent analysis and a comprehensive and actionable report on how to solve some damp issues. Highly recommended indeed.

We have had a very longstanding problem with visible damp patches on one of the chimney breasts in our Victorian house. We sought advice from several contractors and eventually decided to get the chimney capped and vented. This made absolutely no difference to the damp problem. Over the last three years we’ve probably sought advice from around six contractors. None of whom could come up with a convincing diagnosis of the problem, nor credible remedies. I found Damp Surveys Ltd via a random Google search. I was immediately impressed by the administration, which was efficient and seamless. The survey process itself was excellent. Simon swiftly diagnosed the problems and was able to explain them in a clear and simple manner, which we could readily understand. Simon’s explanations of the likely solutions were also set out very helpfully. Simon also offered other advice on reducing condensation in the house. Overall, we were extremely happy with the outcomes of the survey.

Simon came to our house to investigate a damp patch on the chimney breast in a top bedroom. We had already had roof and chimney work undertaken which had not solved the problem. Immediately Simon appears to have identified the root cause. His measurements of the damp appear to confirm his analysis. After this he looked at every room in our house to check for problems. This was not expected and I felt this was very thorough, and in fact gave us other areas to address to prevent future possible problems. Less than two weeks later we have had a very thorough preliminary review with expected costings of different remedies of the problems. We had to wait some time for our inspection, as Simon is a busy person, but that was very worth doing. Now we have excellent suggestions for dealing with the damp patch and other potential problems. I would not hesitate to recommend Simon.

Having a damp survey completed by Simon has been a game changer. We had suffered from a smell of damp for several months, it was unpleasant and troubling but there was no sign of damp until some black mould appeared around the front door. Simon came and investigated what might be causing the damp. He was thorough, interested, keen to explain and gave us lots of good advice while he was with us and in the damp report with which he followed up. Following his advice has solved the damp problem in my home. The damp smell has gone and I could not be happier. I do not hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend Simon and Damp Surveys.

I recently purchased a ground floor Victorian flat and had a pre-purchase "independent" damp and timber survey done resulting in a cost of approx 5,000, the main cost being a chemical injection DPC. After researching how chemical DPC doesn't work, I came across Simon who was very knowledgeable and thorough. He identified the root cause of the issue instead of the quick fix. I had a few complex issues but Simon provided simple fixes which saved me thousands in the process. I even had a couple of questions after receiving the report which Simon answered promptly. Highly recommend.

Damp survey ltd undertook a survey april 2022. I found the service methodical and Simon is highly knowledgable, also happy to give simple tips along the way. The damp report is detailed, precise and action focussed which is exactly what I required. Recommend these services without hesitation.

I don't normally like to make these kinds of recommendations but in this instance, I would be confident another customer would find Damp Surveys as described in the review title. Simon visited our Victorian property and quickly identified the cause of a long-standing problem of damp patches in two upstairs rooms. He proposed a course of action to manage the problem that had previously, and at some cost to us, defeated various roofers and builders. Simon's knowledge and enthusiasm for his work is immediately apparent and in our case the proposed solution fortunately not expensive. If only we had consulted such a specialist at an earlier stage!

Absolutely delighted with the service Damp Surveys provided. The whole concept of taking a thoughtful, thorough, investigative approach to damp issues makes so much sense. Our flat had had a damp proof course injected twenty years ago, before we bought it. Rather than simply proceeding with having a new damp course injected we were keen to establish why there was a damp patch appearing in the flat. They identified the issues which we are now proceeding with redressing. Strongly recommend.

We booked them for a survey after getting some problems with black mold the last two winters. He was polite and respectful of our home, and took care to explain to us what he was looking at and why. We appreciated his explanations throughout the survey, as the report then didn't contain any surprises, and we felt knowledgeable enough to review it and move on with the recommendations. He was reassuringly thorough, and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services. Thank you!

Damp surveys have proved to be very organised, reliable and thorough. They did what they said they would do and I can see that in the long run it will save me both money and hassle, so I do recommend them if you have any damp problems. They might come up with a solution you hadn't thought about.