So you want to do damp-proofing?
 
We often receive calls from people who either want to start a damp-proofing business or bolt it on to their existing business as well as from property owners who want to ‘do it themselves’. They have either seen the procedure undertaken or with the advent of cream type DPC materials the simplicity is too tempting to be ignored.
 
Another source of calls is from operatives who work for building preservation companies and want to start their own business as they know that virtually all of the actual work involved is relatively simple to undertake. They are used to finishing a job, returning to their office where they are given another job that has been competitively won and is now organised for them to carry out. The materials necessary to undertake the work are already in stock for them to use so the temptation to want to do this type of work for oneself is understandable but they are only seeing one side of the operation.
 
Virtually anyone is able to pick up a hammer drill and drill a series of 10 mm holes at regular intervals into a masonry wall. Virtually anyone is able to hack off internal wall plaster and clear it away. Some will be able to plaster and achieve a smooth finish and others with carpentry skills will be able to fit skirting boards but there must be more to it than this? Naturally they all want to be able to offer a guarantee and many believe there is a mystique about being able to do this hence their calls to us.
 
If you want to start a damp-proofing business or bolt it on to your existing business let us look at some of the basic requirements that are necessary in addition to undertaking the actual work. This is a very basic list and a far greater depth of knowledge and understanding would in our opinion be necessary.
 
1. Start a new damp proofing business/Bolt on to an existing business
 
A very significant and basic point, overlooked by many is where do the actual instructions to carry out work come from? What processes have been gone through before the instructions to proceed with the work are received? Obviously for the process to start first of all a potential client has to make an enquiry. To make this happen involves advertising, networking with solicitors, estate agents, surveyors, landlords’ etc. all of which takes time and investment.
 
If we now imagine  that an enquiry has been received - how would you answer the following questions?
 
a)    Do you have the necessary skills, knowledge and equipment to be able to correctly conduct a survey of a property, differentiate between the many possible causes of damp and make the correct diagnosis?
 
b)    Would you know when to put your client on notice about other problems that you may have observed whilst conducting your inspection and the possible consequences for not doing so?

c)     Are you aware of your legal obligations irrespective of whether or not you charged for your survey?
 
d)     Would you be able to make meaningful site notes, sketch plans etc. to enable you to compile a comprehensive report and estimate for submission to your client for their consideration?
 
d)    Do you know how a remedial damp proof course system works, its limitations, and situations when it does not work?
 
e)    Do you know  the British Standard by which your work would be judged if you were challenged in court? Do you have a copy of it and have you read and understood it?
 
f)      Would you have the necessary knowledge and understanding to be able to investigate a damp problem in work that you undertook say over eight years ago?
 
g)    Would you know how to organise a filing system to enable you to cross check all of your enquiries, retrieve all of the surveys you have undertaken in the last seven years and retrieve the records of all of the guaranteed work you have ever undertaken?
 
h)     Would you be sufficiently well financed and have the time available to conduct 100 surveys but only be instructed to carry out work on 30 – 35 of these which is an industry normal acceptance rate?
 
i)       Would you be adequately insured if it is alleged that you conducted a pre-purchase survey negligently and you are now being sued for say £10,000?
 
The above questions highlight some, but certainly not all, of the issues that need to be addressed if you are considering entering into the damp-proofing industry either on a full time or part time basis. Let us now look at the property owner/developer.
 
2. Property developer/Landlord/Property owner
 
Very often property developers and landlords want to do their own damp-proofing because they allege that they have been let down by damp-proofing companies in the past. Some of this may be true but it also probably true that they see doing their own damp-proofing as a way of cutting down on expenditure when developing or maintaining a property.
 
When asked why they want a guarantee if they already own the property the common answer is that they might sell it one day and the new owners will want a guarantee. They are then asked if they would want the third or fourth owner of a property that they sold fifteen years ago knocking on their door saying the property treated fifteen years ago has a few damp problems and they would like it looked at and attended to under guarantee. It is at this point they usually realise that it is not just a matter of typing up and giving away a piece of paper with guarantee on it and forgetting about it.
 
When asked would they be able to write a meaningful report about the work undertaken, produce sketch plans etc. the usual response is that they do not have to do this as they own the property. It is then explained that a guarantee document on its own is virtually useless since it merely confirms that some work was undertaken somewhere in a property on a given date. It is also explained that it is a condition of most guarantees that a report and/or specification must accompany a guarantee to explain exactly what was undertaken, where in the property it took place and what is actually guaranteed as well as other relevant observations and stipulations.
 
Once property owners have been made aware of the ‘hidden’ agenda associated with the production of a meaningful guarantee it often takes the edge off of them wanting to do the work themselves. Of course the property owner/developer will also need to be able to address many of the issues raised in 1. above as well.
 
3. Who may issue a guarantee?
 
There are no laws in the UK that restrict or prevent anyone from issuing a guarantee should they wish to do so. Anyone is at liberty to have guarantees printed. No qualifications are necessary, no training is required and no compulsory licence is needed.
 
4. So you still want to get involved?
 
Well good for you! It is not rocket science but it also not just a matter of drilling a few holes in a wall and injecting something. This short article has deliberately taken the 'devil's advocate' route to provoke thought about items often overlooked. Our unique range of Contractor Guidance Sheets (See Contractor Guidance Sheets on this web site) written and produced by us has proved invaluable to young companies enabling them to take on and very often surpass established companies when it comes to administration and report writing. Adequate training is also essential in order to fully understand exactly what you are attempting to do and how to do it. Good luck!

 

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