Damp Surveys Ltd

I engaged Simon to do a survey of a newly purchased flat which had some mouldy corners that had been hidden by furniture. Simon was professional, friendly and very knowledgeable. He put my mind at ease by explaining the cause of the mould, and what I can do to mitigate the risk of it recurring. I especially liked that he double checked his hypotheses, and was thoughtful, meticulous and systematic in his approach. He was extremely thorough and the report is detailed and comprehensive. I would not hesitate to recommend Simon - I only wish I had booked him to do a survey before I bought the flat!

We contacted Simon following a building survey on a property we are purchasing recommended a damp and timber survey do to high moisture readings and timber staining. We decided to use Simon because he is independent and only does surveys. This gave us confidence that we wouldn't get a recommendation for work that was not required just get a contract. Simon has been extremely helpful, the survey was arranged with the estate agent very swiftly and we got the report back within 4 days (1 working day!). The report is very comprehensive, photo evidence provided of the readings taken and the methodologies are very well explained. Each issue found was well explained along with clear recommendations of how to resolve them, in our case these were relatively simple suggestions concerning ventilation of the property. I wouldn't hesitate to use Simon again if the need ever arose, and I cannot recommend his work highly enough

As requested, my review will be in Italian. È con grande piacere che inserisco il mio commento sul servizio che abbiamo ricevuto dal sig Hichens. La sua perizia è stata condotta con grande competenza e professionalità. A questo vanno aggiunte la cortesia e la disponibilità del sig Hichens, pronto a dare risposte e ulteriori chiarimenti. Siamo rimasti molto soddisfatti.

Simon carried out a damp survey for us on a commercial property which had damp issues. His work was of the highest standard. The survey was very helpful indeed for us when we faced a challenging scenario. He was quick, accurate, conscientious, very knowledgeable, completely professional, and brilliant at explaining issues to someone without experience of the problem. He charges extremely reasonable rates. I highly recommend Damp Surveys Ltd.

Simon was able to complete are survey at short notice. He was very professional and would readily answer questions throughout his inspection and provided practical solutions for tackling common condensation damp. His report was clear and easily understood. Would highly recommend him.

I found Simon to be courteous, thorough and professional in his work. The survey was promptly undertaken with immediate feedback by telephone followed by a comprehensive written and illustrated report. Simon has reassured me in proceeding with the purchase of a ground one bed floor flat.

Simon was really helpful, explained everything and gave us a clear idea of how we could manage our damp. Would highly recommend.

Simon provided a highly professional and thorough service. We were impressed with his perseverance to look at all the different angles of our damp issue and thankful for the logical way he approached it. The report we received was detailed and gave us a clear way forward. He was also conscious of social distancing whilst performing his role for which we are grateful. His work has resolved a long running issue which many others could not fathom.

We recently engaged Simon to conduct a damp survey of a property pre-purchase. Simon responded quickly to our request and came at short notice. He prepared an extremely detailed and helpful report which I have read with interest. He was neutral in preparing the report, not looking to generate repairs which he himself would carry out. The report had many helpful photos to verify its analysis and help us understand its contents. It also had multiple tips about how we could reduce damp areas ourselves without additional cost. Simon even helped many weeks after with follow up queries. I would unreservedly recommend him.

We booked Simon to examine a damp patch that had developed in our kitchen, and to look at few other damp and mould issues we had round the house. He arrived on the dot of his appointment time, looked at every issue we raised with him, taking photos, offering advice and suggesting remedial action. He is obviously extremely knowledgeable - a chemist as well as surveyor - and this means he knows what he is talking about, and as an independent specialist the main benefit is he has no axe to grind. He's not selling you treatment or linked to any traders. His report was very thorough and clear and we will be taking steps to follow his advice. For a visit of nearly two hours, and a 15 page report, we paid only £199. We haven't been told to do unnecessary damp course work but instead to take measures to improve ventilation and reduce condensation. So we have probably saved ourselves quite a lot of money. And he's a nice guy too. Highly recommended.

To a long-term North American owner of a flat in London to be told I had rising damp is probably the equivalent of being told you have a malignancy by a health professional! Not to worry - Simon to the rescue with his doctors bag full of instruments and sample bottles A fully two hours later I was relieved to know that there was no rising damp but had a host of simple remedies to the damp and mould in my flat. Simon was considerate, polite and thorough. He even went to the neighbours and had a scan of their flat! The icing on the cake was a coherent explanation of Brexit. And oh if he would fix that too!

Simon came round to address a case of lower-ground floor damp. He was able to fit our appointment in at short notice and, upon arrival, proceeded to spend 2-hours reviewing the property from top to bottom, focusing on the lower-ground floor issue while also providing recommendations around the house. Using his array of gadgets Simon left no stone unturned. Upon completion, we received a rich-in-detail final report outlining clear recommendations. Simon’s upfront fee means he provides agnostic feedback with no hidden agenda, we couldn't recommend him enough.

We had a full structural survey carried out on a house we were buying which stated we needed to spend over £15,000 in damp proofing courses due to rising damp. We asked Simon for a second opinion. He swiftly located the cause of the damp to a leaking pipe in the basement which was repaired by a local plumber for under £200. He also wrote an extensive report which clearly stated how to dry out the walls, what we would need for this and time frames. The report incorporated the rest of the house and made clear recommendations for improving ventilation, as well as drawing our attention to areas which may need some attention in the future. He is a very qualified professional (Chemist, Damp Surveyor...the list goes on) who is down to earth, trustworthy and offered clear guidance throughout. He went above and beyond to help us within a short time frame and took time out of his evening to explain it all over the phone. He also confirmed we do not have rising damp and so damp proofing courses would be unnecessary. We have and will continue to recommend him to anyone who needs help with damp issues.

We had a small area of damp on one of the internal walls of our Victorian property and had called on a couple of companies which specialised in damp-proofing, but who seemed to primarily be trying to upsell their silicon wall injection service rather than seek out the cause of the problem. Simon, on the other hand, did a thorough survey of multiple rooms and came to the conclusion that the damp was probably caused by a leak in our bathroom on the other side of the wall where the problem was - and that if we fixed that it would probably solve the problem. Further investigation proved that Simon was correct and now having repaired the leak the damp has receded, meaning that we have a long term fix to the underlying cause rather than an expensive and disruptive damp treatment that wouldn't have ultimately lasted given the bathroom leak. Simon was professional and gave us a reasonable price, but most of all his advice was based on real expertise rather than a desire to upsell another service. I would highly recommend him to anyone experiencing a damp issue.

Very professional execution of the damp survey. Simon surveyed a property suffering from penetrating damp, he helped identify other damp issues and was happy to discuss the technicalities and areas of improvement. Remedial works suggested cost much less than you’d expect to see with companies doing both the survey and work.

Simon was good at explaining the issues I faced, getting a sense of the property layout and anything which could be causing the problem. Along with the report, I have been provided with very clear guidance which I will be upholding. Has helped to save me money by not assuming the worst, as advised by some builders. Recommended

We contacted Simon to carry out a comprehensive damp and timber survey. I was thoroughly impressed with Simon's responsiveness and attention to detail. He took great care in understanding the reasons why we required the survey and in identifying the root causes of any possible issues. Simon took the time to walk me through his findings, then discussed possible solutions and suggestions for mitigating the minor issues he identified. Moreover, his turnover time in producing the report was incredibly swift. I can't recommend him highly enough if you are looking for a quality independent expert to survey your property.

Following a mortgage valuation report on a property I was looking to purchase I had to engage the services of a professional damp expert for a more detailed survey. Simon was recommended to me and he did not disappoint. As an independent surveyor you have the comfort of knowing he is not going to look for unnecessary work to increase his revenue. It is a fixed fee and an objective service - exactly what I needed. He took the time and care to not only explain to me what he was going to do during the survey but also afterwards kept in regular contact and produced a very professional report with his findings, recommendations and further explanations. For anyone needing expert, independent advice on any damp-related issues I would definitely recommend Simon for the job!

Simon has a vast amount of knowledge and experience with damp issues. He thoroughly tested every room (and even under the ground floor!) for damp and provided sound advice for addressing the source of every issue. He saved us money by advising against certain “improvements” recommended by damp companies we’d had to the house, and provided simple and zero-cost solutions instead. If you only go the assessment of a self-interested damp company, you are at their mercy because you won’t know if the suggested improvement (for their profit) is actually necessary. After Simon conducted his survey, we found out that the damp company’s quote was for unnecessary work. He saved us hundreds.

I would recommend Simon at Damp Surveys to everyone. I wish I had instructed him previously. Cheerful, interested, clear recommendations and easy to follow report. So refreshing to have someone who turns up and writes so that lay parties can understand. Can’t recommend him enough.

Highly recommended - the service throughout from Simon and the team was exceptional. Booking was easy and availability was prompt. Simon arrived on time and during his visit went above and beyond expectations, both in time spent in property and also in depth of investigation of all matters that could result in damp issues encountered - even the 1% possibilities! Post-visit Simon continued to go above and beyond, being extremely responsive in providing updates and answers to queries, and also providing actionable insights and remedial works in his final report, that I'm sure will save me considerable time and money over the coming years.

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.

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.