£350 for the problem areas · £450 for the whole property · £500 with costings
An independent damp surveyor who finds out what is actually causing the damp, and has no damp proofing, no treatment and no contractor payment to gain from the answer. Thermal imaging and calibrated moisture readings on every survey, and a clear written report within 24 hours of the visit.
Want to know what the work should cost? Whole Property Survey with Costings, £500. Buying a home? Start here
The affected room or rooms, plus every room, roof space, subfloor or outside wall that could be causing it. You are not charged by the room.
The full house, loft spaces, all rooms and a full outside inspection. The right choice when you want every room checked, or when a landlord or agent wants the whole picture on file.
Everything in the whole property survey, plus indicative costs for the work needed to fix it. For homeowners, buyers and sellers. Who it is for
Same price across East Anglia, North London and the West Midlands. HMOs, commercial premises and unusually large properties are quoted individually. No payment is taken to book, and if what you describe does not need a survey, we will say so on the phone.
See real ones: a problem areas survey report (PDF, 22 pages, 5 MB) and a whole property survey report (PDF, 35 pages, 8 MB). Each is published with the client's permission, with only the client, the address and anything personal removed.
Every survey is carried out with a Protimeter MMS3, a professional moisture meter used by surveyors and damp specialists across the UK. It measures four things, not one: moisture in the material, moisture beneath the surface without damaging it, humidity and dew point in the air, and surface temperature. Together they show whether damp is coming through a wall or forming on it, which is the difference between penetrating damp and condensation.
But a meter doesn't diagnose damp. A surveyor does. Rory built houses from the foundations up with a master builder before the Royal Marines, and has renovated and extended period homes ever since. That is what tells him what the readings mean in a real house, and when a reading can mislead. Good instruments and experience together are how we find the cause, not just the symptom.
Everything in our Whole Property Survey, plus a realistic idea of what it will cost to put right.
We inspect every room we can get into, the loft where access allows and a full outside inspection. We find the cause of the damp, not just the symptom, then give you indicative costs for the work needed to fix it. Your report is ready within 24 hours of the survey, and Rory will call you afterwards to talk it through.
Know what the work should cost before the contractors arrive. You'll have the cause, exactly what needs doing and a realistic price range, so you can compare quotes like for like and spot one that's padded, or a damp course you don't need.
Know what you're taking on before you commit. The cause, how far it goes and a realistic cost to put it right, from someone with no interest in the answer. You can plan your budget, and make your decision, on facts. How it works around a purchase
A buyer's survey has flagged damp and the offer is coming down. An independent report gives both sides the same facts: the cause, what's needed and what it should realistically cost. Sometimes that's far less than the worst case being quoted. Sometimes it isn't. Either way, the conversation about price is based on evidence, not guesswork.
The costs are indicative ranges, not a quote. We carry out no remedial work, sell no products, and take no commission or referral fee from anyone who carries out repairs, so the report says the same thing whoever books it. It isn't a Level 2 or Level 3 building survey or a valuation, and it doesn't meet any lender requirement. The report is for the person who books it. You're welcome to share it, but only you can rely on it.
See a real one. Download a real Vigilant pre purchase report with costings (PDF, 53 pages, 4 MB). Every reading, photograph and cost is as reported; only the client and the address have been removed, with the client's permission.
Or download a real focused damp report with costings, the ground floor and cellar of a Victorian house (PDF, 28 pages, 6 MB). Every reading and cost is as reported; only the client, the address and the photographs that would identify the house have been removed, with the client's permission.
Most "free damp surveys" are carried out by the company that sells the treatment. The survey is the sales visit. It is no surprise when the answer is a damp proof course, an injection or a tanking system, whether or not the wall needs one.
Vigilant Surveys does no remedial work at all. No damp proofing arm, no contractor referrals, and no contractor paying us anything in connection with your survey. The report is the only product, so the diagnosis is never shaped by who fixes the problem. Quite often the real answer is far cheaper than the one you were quoted, and when the property does not need the treatment someone has proposed, that goes in writing.
You have been quoted for damp proofing and want to know whether the wall is actually damp, and why. An independent survey answers that before you spend thousands.
Your Level 2 or Level 3 survey flagged damp readings or a musty smell. What buyers book is our Whole Property Survey with Costings. It finds the cause and gives you indicative costs for the work, so you know what you are taking on before you commit.
A tenant has reported damp or mould. An independent, evidence led report shows what was found, when, and what needs doing, and it stands up if the matter goes further.
Mould keeps coming back, plaster is blowing or there is a stain that grows after rain. You want the cause, not a guess, and a plan that fixes it once. Damp and mould inspection
Call, WhatsApp or send the form below. Rory calls you back, usually within a couple of hours, talks it through and confirms the fixed price. No payment to book.
Normally 1 to 2 hours on site. Thermal imaging across the affected areas, moisture readings room by room, relative humidity and surface temperatures, and, where the cause could be outside, the outside of the building checked as well.
Plain English, photographs, the readings and a clear conclusion, prepared within 24 hours of the survey. Yours to keep and to hand to a landlord, agent, solicitor or contractor.
"I called Rory in to survey my semi-detached in Stowmarket after noticing some damp issues. He identified the cause straight away, blown render on the external wall allowing water to penetrate. Really impressed by how thorough he was."
"Rory surveyed one of my rental flats in Norwich and identified condensation as the cause of mould in the bathroom. A simple fix, he recommended installing an extractor fan, but good to have it properly assessed and documented."
"I live overseas and rent out my home in Stowmarket, so having a reliable, trustworthy surveyor I can call on is really important to me. Rory found the cause of mould in the bathroom straight away."
£350 for the problem areas or £450 for the whole property, the same price across East Anglia, North London and the West Midlands, and the figure quoted is the total payable. Both include thermal imaging, calibrated moisture mapping and the written report. HMOs, commercial premises and unusually large properties are quoted individually. If you want indicative costs for the work as well, that is the Whole Property Survey with Costings at £500, our only survey that includes them.
Yes. Vigilant Surveys carries out no remedial work, sells no products, and takes no commission or referral fee from anyone who carries out repairs. We are paid for the survey and the report, and nothing else.
Rising damp is ground moisture drawn up through a wall, typically affecting the lower metre. Penetrating damp comes in from outside through defects such as failed pointing, blocked gutters or cracked render. Condensation forms when warm moist air meets a cold surface and is the most common cause of mould in homes. They look alike on a wall and need completely different fixes, which is the whole point of diagnosing properly before any work is done.
Usually 1 to 2 hours on site depending on the size of the property and how many rooms are affected. The written report is prepared within 24 hours of the survey.
Based in Suffolk and covering Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and North London too, all at the same fixed price. Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Colchester, Chelmsford, Peterborough, King's Lynn and the North London boroughs are all regular ground, and so are the M11 corridor and north east London: Epping, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford, Loughton, Woodford, Chingford and Walthamstow. In the West Midlands we cover about an hour's drive across the region, including Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham, at the same prices. Damp surveys in the West Midlands.
No payment to book. Tell me what is going on and I will call you straight back, usually within a couple of hours, to arrange a visit and confirm the fixed price.
Ipswich · Norwich · Cambridge · Colchester · Chelmsford · Peterborough · Bury St Edmunds · North London · King's Lynn · Ely · Newmarket · Sudbury · Stowmarket · West Midlands · all services & pricing