How Much Does a Damp Survey Cost and What Does It Include?

The first question most people ask is how much, and the honest answer is that it depends on the property. Our current guide prices are on our pricing page. What I’d encourage you to think about more is what you’re getting for the money.

What affects the price

• The size and layout of the property.
• Standard construction or something more complex.
• Extra areas to inspect, such as cellars, basements or outbuildings.
• Location and travel.
• The type of report: a homeowner wanting advice, a buyer needing a report for a lender, a landlord, or a commercial client.

What a proper survey should include

• An inspection of the outside: ground levels, the DPC line, pointing, render, gutters, downpipes, air bricks and roof details where they can be seen. Much internal damp starts outside.
• Room-by-room inspection inside, including cellars and roof spaces where accessible.
• Moisture readings at different heights and positions, so the pattern tells the story, not just one reading at skirting level.
• Salt analysis where rising damp is suspected.
• An assessment of ventilation, heating and how the property is used.
• An inspection of accessible timbers for wet rot, dry rot and woodworm.
• Photographs.
• A clear explanation of the cause in plain English.
• Recommendations in order of priority, and a quotation for any work the company would carry out.

Free surveys

Be careful with free damp surveys. Somebody has to pay for the surveyor’s time, and with some firms that cost is recovered by selling you a treatment. That doesn’t mean every free survey is bad, but ask who’s doing it, what qualifications they hold, and whether they’ll explain the cause in writing.

Who should do it

Look for a surveyor holding the CSRT qualification, and CSSW for basements and cellars, working for a PCA member company. Ask to see their qualifications.

A good report

It tells you what’s wrong, why, the evidence for it, and what needs doing in priority order, including the simple things you can sort yourself, like clearing a gutter. If the only recommendation is to inject everything, ask why.