The building and preservation industry like many others has always been at risk of rouge traders, those who pray on vulnerable and trusting clients as a means of extracting money, profiteering on deceitful advice and actions backed by meaning less promises and guarantees.
Recently the BBC Channel “Rouge Traders” featured this company ” Cathedral Damp Limited (not to be confused with companies of a similar name)” in of one of their show’s. The programme highlighted how the company used very basic signs of dampness (in a previously diagnosed dry property) as justification for unnecessary work, bamboozling clients into thinking they had an unidentified damp issue.
Unfortunately all industries are susceptible to a minority few rouges who’s interests most certainly do not lie with the client, and although it is good to expose these criminals, the exposure can leave a bitter taste.
There are however, some very basic ways to avoid being caught out in a “cowboy trap”, please read my advice at the end to find out how;
Cathedral Damp Limited (not to be confused with companies of a similar name) is a nationwide damp proofing company. They’re based in Derby and supposedly take their name from its famous landmark – Derby Cathedral. The company is run by brothers Martyn and Tony Harrison, the same directors who used to run another company called The Damp Detectors Ltd, which just over a decade ago was fined tens of thousands of pounds for selling damp proofing when there was no damp… twice.
Martyn Harrison - Cathedral Damp Limited Derby
We’ve heard from some of Cathedral Damp’s more recent customers who are unhappy with their current service. They include Manjula, who asked the company to investigate a damp problem affecting the walls throughout the ground floor of her home in Preston. Manjula got a number of quotes but chose Cathedral Damp because they promised to fix her problem without removing the plaster. Less mess you see. They told her they would remove the skirting board and inject the chemicals directly into the walls, they promised her it would sort all her problems out and even gave her a 30 year guarantee. Manjula paid £950 but a year later the damp remained.
Manjula contacted Cathedral Damp and they sent one of their directors to her house to take a look. He told her the plaster would need to come off after all and it would cost her an additional £500 per wall. Manjula thought this should be covered in the 30 year guarantee, but was told otherwise, “he said that guarantee doesn’t mean anything”. Manjula tried in vain to get the company to honour their guarantee, with no success. In the end she took her case to the small claims court; the company didn’t even show up and Manjula won. Cathedral Damp were ordered to pay £1,075 but almost a year later Manjula still hasn’t received a penny.
Rogue Traders decided an investigation was in order, so we found a house that was certified ‘dry’ by chartered surveyor Alan Wright and hired an actor, Joe to play the part of our homeowner. Joe told the company he thought he had a musty smell coming from one of his downstairs rooms. We booked an appointment for a free survey and director Martyn Harrison came to check it out.
Martyn told Joe he couldn’t test the walls in the particular room he was concerned about because they are covered with plasterboard. An experienced surveyor, however, should still be able to tell there’s no damp here, as there are no indications. Martyn’s not one to give up the search so easily though and he goes on to point out a small amount of condensation on a window, and moss growing on the mortar outside, both he says are signs of a damp.
Expert Alan Wright says otherwise. “It’s not unusual to find condensation within an unheated room, it’s just the warm air meeting a cool surface” and the discoloured mortar is completely natural.
By now Martyn should have tested the other walls in the house for damp using his moisture meter, but he doesn’t. Instead he tells Joe that the house needs drilling and injecting and quotes £1200 for the work. Outrageous and unnecessary. Even if there was a damp problem an injection alone wouldn’t fix it; any affected plaster work on the inside would need to be removed too. Martyn does offer Joe an alternative of just keeping the door open in the affected room to get some warmth into it and, after eventually checking the walls with his meter, describes the damp situation as ‘borderline’, but he leaves homeowner Joe in no doubt that he is clearly recommending the unnecessary work.
Cathedral damp also advertise themselves as timber treatment specialists. In order to test out this arm of the company we set up another house with another actress, Jane. She calls them about some furniture in the loft that she thinks could be infected with woodworm. This time a salesman called Doug pays us a visit and confirms correctly that the furniture is woodworm free. Inspection done, Doug makes his way out but he can’t resist what Cathedral Damp is known for and tells Jane that he thinks she may have a damp problem. Luckily Alan Wright checked this house over too and confirmed that it is free from damp. So what is Doug talking about? We invited him back to find out a bit more.
This time Doug turns up armed with his damp meter and tests the inside walls, he gives them a clean bill of health so he should be on his way home. But he isn’t. Instead he goes outside and points out the darker bricks along the side of the house, he tells Jane these are a sign that she has rising damp, but it hasn’t come through to the inner walls yet. Expert Alan Wright says this is totally inaccurate, rising damp can not just appear on the external wall, it will rise through both walls at the same rate so one without the other would be totally impossible.
Doug also uses his damp meter on the external walls which is a basic error. The external wall is in constant contact with rain and therefore will always register as moist. Doug also recommends spraying some spalling bricks on the side of the house with a silicone spray to preserve them, he quotes us a total of £861.84 for the spray and the damp proof course. Expert Alan Wright is shocked by this diagnosis he says “he’s specified work that doesn’t need carrying out. Totally unnecessary. I think they’re [the company] total cowboys, and the diagnosis is totally unfounded and is shocking to be fair”.
By now we have a lot of questions that we need answering, so actor Joe calls Director Martyn Harrison back to property number one to talk about his damp problem again, however this time we’ve made a slight alteration to one room. Patio doors have now been replaced by a fake wall, complete with hole just big enough for Matt’s head covered by a curtain. Martyn comes to the property and actor Joe shows Martyn into the room, complete with new wall. Joe pulls back the curtain to reveal Matt’s face but before he gets a chance to ask any questions Martyn leaves. Matt bursts through the wall and follows Martyn to his car outside, but Martyn refuses to answer any of his questions.
The company say they have thousands of satisfied customers. And both Martyn Harrison and Doug gave reasonable advice, leaving the customers in our film to make their own decisions. They say they advised injection treatment as an option at House One – as it was borderline. The only way to prove whether there IS damp at either property is by performing a calcium carbide test. We did. There still isn’t any damp.
They say Doug’s treatment for spalling bricks differs from our expert’s.
And they say they’ve promised a refund to Manjula. She’s still waiting.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2011/09/cathedral_damp_limited.html
How to avoid a cowboy:
Step 1:
When looking for a damp or timber contractor/surveyor, research the company.
Check the date of incorporation (when the company was established) this will give you an idea how long the company has been trading and its history.
You can find this information freely available on the companies house website (WebCheck)
http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/2390f5e98b41cfbbd1478f76d6439da9/wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo
STEP 2
Ask around friends or family or search the internet for reviews/recommendations of the company.
STEP 3
Check the companies accreditations. Don’t just be fooled by badges and logos however. Make sure these are accreditations that matter to you, after all there’s no point in instructing a damp surveyor who’s has no qualifications or accreditations in the industry but is highly skilled at baking cakes.
Our industry is represented by the Property Care Association (PCA). The Property Care Association formerly part of the BWPDA, is the leading trade body for structural waterproofing, wood preservation, damp proofing, flood remediation and structural maintenance in the UK.
The PCA ensures that the highest levels of professionalism operate among its members. Members must meet a number of strict criteria to ensure they meet the required standards including, qualified surveyors and approved financial status. All PCA accredited companies are audited on a regular basis to assure their high standards of workmanship are maintained.
PCA members can be trusted to provide peace of mind through a correct diagnosis and repair, completed by skilled and experienced operatives such as our own accredited CSRT qualified surveyors and PCA Remedial Technicians.
Check the PCA’s website to see if your contractor is approved and working to PCA guidelines. http://www.property-care.org/
Cathedral Damp Limited of Derby are not members of the property Care Association.
STEP 3
Beware of a free survey! Nothing in life is for free, free surveys are usually carried out by builders or companies who do not have the knowledge or accreditation to charge for their advice. Most free surveys are basically an invitation to quote.
Most PCA members will charge you for a survey (usually in the region of £60.00 – £500.00) this is because they employ experienced and qualified surveyors and the advice and recommendations provided comes from a reliable educated source. If you’re investing in your property ensure you get the right advice and you should expect to pay for it.
STEP 4
Check to see if your surveyor is qualified. The PCA has developed a professional qualification for surveyors which assesses areas of damp and timber diagnosis and which is achieved only after rigorous testing of a candidates knowledge, skill and practical ability. Two separate qualifications (Certificated Timber Infestation Surveyor
– CTIS and Certificated Remedial Damp Surveyor – CRDS) have no been amalgamated with an assessment of law, health and safety aspects into a single qualification – the Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatment – CSRT.
Member companies of PCA employ qualified surveyors to ensure that property owners get a reliable survey which correctly identifies the problem and states whether any treatment is required.
Be Safe – Be Sure – Be Certain
STEP 5
Feel free upon receiving a report to question any recommendations, this is perfectly reasonable. You should expect a knowledgeable and justifiable answer from your surveyor for the recommendations made.
Most damp proof systems work in conjunction with replastering. Where replastering is omitted from the specification, query why? Sometimes this can be justifiable however, should be backed by an investigation into the salt content of the plaster, by undertaking a salt analysis tests. Don’t be fooled by a no-mess system without justification.
STEP 6
Check the worthiness of guarantees provided prior to instruction.
As most people will know company guarantees are only valid whilst the company is still trading, for this reason they are merely no more than a promise, should the company cease trading you may find the guarantee you were issued with is worthless.
To provide additional protection Insured guarantees are available to professional, pre-vetted companies to offer protection in addition to a company guarantee/promise in the event of a company ceasing to trade.
Unlike other guarantees available Insurance guarantees are specific to the property and do not need to be reassigned to subsequent owners in order to remain valid. These are completely independent from the trading company or a manufacturer, to provide fair, transparent insured guarantees to protect property owners.
Insurance guarantees offer upto 20 years of protection for a small one-off fee which is subject to (IPT) Insurance Premium Tax showing that you are buying official insurance. Beware, If you are not paying IPT then it’s not insurance.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has only approved long-term guarantees up to 20 years. Therefore if you have been offered a thirty year guarantee this, is NOT official insurance and likely to be ‘Insurance backed’ by a manufacturer or another company – this is not official insurance.
I hope the above information helps and if you need any further advice please do not hesitate to contact us.
Russell Rafton
C.S.R.T / I.S.S.E
Dryfix Preservation Ltd
Senior Surveyor
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