Can anyone recommend: Damp surveyor

Cheryl wrote on Sun May 17, 2020 7:54pm:

Are you needing a moisture meter to find out the extent of the damp or is it already obvious how bad it is? Most damp here is rising damp although if there are faults in the structure, roof etc you can get penetrating damp. If it is in an underbuild it may have been converted without consideratio...

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...n for the rising damp. If not it could be because there is no guttering so any rain comes off the roof close to the walls and the walls can get very wet or a fault in the seal between the walls and the tiled surround, especially if the surround doesn't have a fall away from the house.
Would you mind letting us know whereabouts in the house it is, maybe with some pictures, but in my experience I haven't needed a damp meter as I could see either where paint and plaster was blowing or crystalline which is effervescence. If it is a holiday home which is left closed up for long periods this only make things worse.

Del1947 wrote on Sun May 17, 2020 8:25pm:

Hi there thanks for the reply it's a friend who is long term renting, I have a builder knowledge, the damp is mainly floor level also walls wardrobe every room except bathroom fully tiled and kitchen in the corner of a couple of rooms it has four foot footings in English terms which somebody has ...

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...opened up a hole in the garden but to me it looks dry. He has photos I Can try to upload, I don't know if you can visit it's a bit of a story in the meantime I will try to upload photos, just as a footnote the letting agent has not been to the building and intimated that it is Condensation. 

Thank you 

Cheryl wrote on Sun May 17, 2020 9:24pm:

Hubby is probably at the same level as you but we had a lot of damp problems in our villa which we have solved but obviously your friend isn't going to be going to the expense that we did.
It could be condensation as there is probably only a single skin wall which is cold and as the warm air i...

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...nternally holds more moisture and hits the cold wall it turns from vapour into water. This can be made worse with bottled gas heaters, hobs without extractors and a patchy heating system which will warm some areas but leave others cold (like an open fire or wood burner). Behind wardrobes where there is little airflow the damp often shows as black mould.
I'm not sure if you are a regular visitor or even live here yourself but damp and condensation are a big problem almost everywhere. Have your friends been here long and do they know if it was left empty for any great length of time before they moved in?

Del1947 wrote on Mon May 18, 2020 9:27am:

Hello again ok yes are friends have been here for 14years but did buy of plans had no problems with that apartment,sold and rented this bungalow about 2 year's ago no problems first year but it Is now showing, they believe it might have been a repossession they moved out 2 week's ago temporarily ...

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...I went there yesterday and it is really musty windows open all the time I saw it last September and it has got worse solarium was resealed by agent's builder?? Black mould is in a lot of places there heating is only a small hot air blower they put in a humidifier and that was filled every time. I am aware of these problems over here we don't live here permanently have just got a small apartment and are learning ours was built in 1986 but has got air vents, anyway they will be moving soon it's seems that either side neighbour's dont have the problems.

Thanks for the insight

Cheryl wrote on Mon May 18, 2020 9:54am:

Good to know they will be moving soon as it isn't healthy to live like that and it does sound quite excessive, especially as neighbours with similar buildings are not experiencing it. It looks like the owner may have some repairs to do somewhere.