Your own diligence is the key to getting good advice

​Having researched the typical questions people use as their search criteria on the internet, it is no wonder they receive such poor advice from so many untrained and unprofessional tradesmen who have jumped on the damp proofing band wagon.

Taking MyBuilder website as a recent example, people are actually asking for rising damp repairs or ask specifically for damp treatment, and not to find out what's causing the dampness in the first place.

We all love something that's free but, generally, that free offer is intended to gain more custom in the long run.  A free survey is offered by damp proofers because they know they can get a significant fee from (mis)diagnosing various issues and providing their own solution to them.

So where is the benefit of 'free' in that case?  Not only do you need to pay a large bill, it will be for unnecessary and disruptive work that won't even come close to solving the issues.

An example is where a blocked rainwater pipe has been leaking outside for a couple of years and has eventually caused a damp patch behind the TV.  A damp proofer's FREE diagnosis and solution:  A breakdown on the damp proof course (DPC) causing rising damp!!!  Their solution is to hack off plaster, apply a waterproof membrane, drill a new DPC through the wall, and re-plaster using waterproof plaster.
Cost: £1,500 to £3,500.

My diagnosis, following inspecting the whole property to identify a pattern of the moisture and to determine its source:  A blocked rainwater gulley with the solution to unblock it and allow the wall to dry out naturally.
Cost:  around £400.

No professional can provide their services for nothing as that is where the value lies.  Experience, education, expertise, specialist knowledge, they all come at a price but will save you money and disruption.  If you are seeking advice about a legal matter, would you act on advice you got 'down the pub' or pay for the correct advice from a trained and qualified professional who is bound by standards and ethics?