This is a fair question because booking a survey with someone you have not used before can feel a bit of a leap of faith. Here is what actually happens. Dean or one of our office team will arrange a time that suits you and arrange to visit the property. They will start with an external inspection, checking the fabric of the building, guttering, downpipes, render, pointing, and ground levels around the base of the walls. Then they will work through the interior, taking moisture readings at multiple points using specialist meters and looking carefully at any areas of concern you have flagged, as well as anywhere they think warrants a closer look. The whole visit typically takes between forty minutes and two hours, depending on the size and complexity of the property. One thing worth knowing is that we ask you to move any obstructions away from walls before we arrive, furniture, boxes, or anything that limits access to the areas we need to inspect. We cannot move these ourselves, and anything we cannot access will be noted in the report as uninspected. After the survey, Dean can talk you through his main findings. You will then receive a full written report setting out what we found, what we think is causing it, and what we would recommend. We will always tell you honestly if the answer is simple maintenance rather than specialist treatment. That is just how we work.

The two qualifications that really matter are the CSTDB (Certificated Surveyor of Timber and Dampness in Buildings), formerly known as CSRT, covering knowledge regarding dampness and timber issues within a building and the CSSW (Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing) which is for the designing and installation of below-ground water management systems. Dean holds both of these and regularly attends training sessions to update his knowledge. These are the industry's recognised specialist qualifications, and they are not easy to obtain. Fewer than 150 people in the UK hold both, and Dean is one of them. Beyond qualifications, look for full contractor membership of the Property Care Association rather than just PCA training, which is a different and considerably lower bar. (Sadly many "fake" companies display the PCA logo without holding membership!) TrustMark registration and Trading Standards approval are also worth checking. In Kent, as in any area with a lot of older housing stock, the risk of encountering contractors who present themselves as damp specialists without meaningful credentials is real. It is always worth asking directly what qualifications the surveyor who will actually visit your property holds, not just the company in general.

ur surveys start from £95 plus VAT for a focused snapshot survey of a specific problem and go up to £295 plus VAT for a comprehensive inspection of a whole property. The right one for you depends on whether you have a single area of concern or you want the full picture, for example, before buying a house. Visit our survey page for a breakdown of the surveys. Whichever you need, you get an honest, qualified assessment and a written report, with no incentive for us to find a problem that is not there, because we have no treatment to sell off the back of it. In our experience the survey fee is almost always the most cost-effective first step you can take, whether it confirms there is nothing to worry about or catches a real problem early. On many occasions we can guide homeowners to some simple maintenance that alleviates the issues.

This is probably the question we get asked more than any other, and honestly, it is one of the hardest to answer without first knowing what you are dealing with. Costs can range from a few hundred pounds for a straightforward maintenance fix to several thousand for a full damp proof course installation with replastering. What we can tell you is that the single biggest factor in keeping costs down is getting the diagnosis right the first time. We have visited so many properties where money has already been spent on the wrong treatment, and that always ends up costing more in the long run. A damp survey with us starts from £95, and in our experience, it is almost always the most cost-effective first step you can take.

If you are buying an older property, or your homebuyer’s survey has raised any concern about damp or timber, then yes, a specialist survey is almost always worth it before you exchange. A standard homebuyer’s survey is carried out by a general surveyor across the whole property. They will flag a possible damp or timber issue, but they are not specialists in it, so they tend to recommend further investigation rather than give you a definitive answer. A specialist damp and timber survey goes deeper in that one area and tells you exactly what you are dealing with, how serious it is, and what it will cost to put right. That information is genuinely valuable before you commit. It either gives you peace of mind that the problem is minor, or it gives you a precise figure you can use to renegotiate the price or ask the seller to contribute. Buyers who skip this step and assume the worst sometimes pay over the odds, and buyers who skip it and assume the best sometimes inherit a problem they could have negotiated away. A clear report puts you in control either way.

A homebuyer’s survey is a general overview of a whole property, carried out by a general surveyor. It looks at everything from the roof to the walls to the windows, and it will flag a possible damp or timber issue, but it will not usually diagnose it in detail. Instead, it tends to recommend that a specialist take a closer look. A specialist damp and timber survey is that closer look. It focuses specifically on damp and timber, goes into far more detail, identifies exactly what is causing the problem, and sets out what, if anything, needs doing and what it would cost. The two work together: the homebuyer’s survey spots the question, and the specialist survey answers it.

The most common sign is small round exit holes in your timber, typically around 1 to 2mm in diameter. You may also notice a fine powdery dust around or beneath these holes — this is called frass, and it is produced by the larvae as they burrow through the wood. If the frass looks fresh and pale, rather than old and discoloured, there is a good chance the infestation is still active. Dead beetles on windowsills during the summer months are another tell-tale sign. If you are unsure, get a professional to take a look rather than leaving it.