What a damp and timber survey covers
The short answer
A proper damp and timber survey investigates causes, not just readings: moisture profiling through walls, checks on ventilation, drainage and external defects, inspection of accessible timbers for rot and beetle, and a written report naming the mechanism with a proportionate, priced remedy. One to three hours on site, £150 to £400, and the test of quality is simple - does the report explain where the water comes from?
How the inspection runs
- 1
History and walk-round
What you've noticed and when, past treatments and guarantees, then the outside first: ground levels against the damp-proof course, gutters, downpipes, pointing, render cracks, bridged cavities. A striking share of 'rising damp' is solved from the garden - water getting in, not up.
- 2
Moisture profiling inside
Surface meter readings mapped wall by wall, then profiling at depth where it matters - deep probes or drilled samples that distinguish a wall wet through its core from one with surface condensation or salt contamination. This is the step the free sales survey skips.
- 3
The environment check
Ventilation, heating patterns, extractor performance, cold spots and humidity - the evidence that identifies condensation, which is the answer in a large share of investigated homes. Expect questions about drying laundry and shower habits; they're diagnostic, not judgemental.
- 4
Timber inspection
Accessible floors, joist ends, skirtings, roof timbers where in scope: probing for softness, signs of wet or dry rot, and the flight holes and frass that mark wood-boring insects. Joist ends near damp walls get particular attention - it's where real money hides.
- 5
The report
Named mechanism per affected area, evidence for it, and a proportionate remedy with indicative costs - repair the pointing, sort the gutter, ventilate the bathroom, or (rarely) physical damp-proofing works. Photographs and moisture maps included.
What's out of scope
Non-invasive limits still apply: surveyors don't open walls, lift fitted floors or dismantle anything without agreement, and hidden voids stay hidden - reports say so plainly. Drains get a visual check, not a CCTV survey; roofs get binoculars, not ladders over three storeys. When a report recommends those specifics, it's the same referral logic as the house survey that sent you here: the surveyor has found the boundary of what visual inspection can prove and is telling you exactly where to point the next, narrower investigation.
Book the investigation, not the sales visit
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Compare damp survey quotesCommon questions
Will the surveyor drill holes in my walls?
Only with permission and only where profiling at depth is genuinely needed - small-diameter samples, made good afterwards. Much of the diagnosis comes from external inspection, surface mapping and the environment check before any drill appears.
What qualifications should I look for?
PCA membership with CSRT (damp) and CSTDB (timber) qualifications, or RICS surveyors specialising in building pathology. The other credential is structural: no financial link to a treatment contractor.
Does the survey cover mould and health concerns?
Mould is recorded as evidence - it maps condensation - and the fix for the moisture is the fix for the mould. For severe infestations affecting health, the report's ventilation and heating remedies are the substance; specialist cleaning is the cosmetic final step.
What if the report recommends damp-proofing works after all?
Sometimes it genuinely does - failed damp-proof courses exist, just far more rarely than they're sold. An independent report specifying physical works gives you a scope to tender competitively, rather than a single contractor's number invented in your hallway.
Sources and further reading