Damp Proof Specialists Near Me – How to Choose
When checking damp proof specialists near me, always confirm whether the company is Kent County Council’s Trading Standards Approved, a member of the government’s Trustmark scheme, or a Which? Trusted trader. Finding the right damp proof specialists near me is something most homeowners only think about once they’ve already got a problem. It’s a popular phrase in our industry, and there are hundreds of companies offering similar services.
So, how do you choose a company that will offer you excellent service?
I have created this quick guide to help you choose the right damp-proof specialists for you.
As an established and respected operator in this field, we want all consumers to use a company that can provide an efficient and professional service, whether that is with one of our competitors or us.
In an ideal world, all contractors would be trustworthy and reliable. Sadly, we all know that some businesses are less than honest: providing a service that is not up to scratch and which lets the whole industry down.
We know this from our own experience, as we are regularly called out to inspect work that has failed in some way, and the company in question has ‘disappeared’, refuses to return or has ceased trading.
Find the Right Damp Specialists
To employ a reputable company you can trust, please follow our simple checklist:
Is the firm a member of the industry’s regulated trade association?
The trade body for our specialist works is The Property Care Association (PCA).
WE WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE A PCA MEMBER FOR ANY REMEDIAL WORKS.
The PCA is there to support you if it goes wrong. By being a member of the PCA, the contractor is demonstrating that they have certified surveyors and technicians in place and are audited regularly as to their customer service, health and safety, training and attend training courses and workshops.
Is the company regulated?
Check whether the company is Kent County Council’s Trading Standards Approved or a member of the government’s Trustmark scheme or a Which? Trusted trader.
These organisations all vet and regulate their members; therefore, membership indicates stability and trustworthiness. (We are vetted and members of them all)
What LOGOS are displayed?
I have looked up damp companies in my area, and many regularly display WORTHLESS logos. These are logos of chemical company products or emblems of ghost associations that sell the use of their logo for a fixed fee; however, they mean nothing.
Ensure the logos on the website demonstrate competency and are relative to the specialist skills and works.
Below is our membership accreditation.
Does Your Contractor have a good online reputation?
Websites such as www.checkatrade.com require specific standards from their listed contractors and record customer feedback, making it easy to check how the firm has performed for previous clients. ( we have over 157 five-star reviews on Checkatrade alone – make sure the reviews they have are relative to the service you are using.)
We would suggest you do a little research on the company put in their name in a Google search, add “reviews” and see what comes up. It is worth taking that extra time doing research rather than making the wrong choice.
Is the firm a limited company and showing their company registration number?
Check for yourself via the free service provided by Companies House, which you can find via this link.
You will be surprised how many companies are still trading online and over the phone which, when you check, have dissolved or are in liquidation, according to Companies House.
Does the company ONLY have 0800 or MOBILE contact numbers?
If the answer is yes, then you may need to be cautious. 0800, and mobile numbers are not locked to a specific location. So although they may offer you a free call, these numbers can also indicate a firm without a fixed base or address, the sort of company that can disappear quickly by switching to a different mobile number.
Transparency
Many damp proof specialists near me are ‘faceless,’ and you have no idea who is dealing with your work. It can be hard to tell whether the company is a one-man band or a micro business of 20 people. At South East Timber & Damp, we have worked hard to show you exactly who we are; we have pictures, write-ups, case studies, testimonials, and videos of us and our clients to help you get to know us before you make your choice. Be wary of companies who don’t show you who they are.
Has the company’s name changed?
Some firms may use one name and then pop up a few years later with a different but similar one, i.e. Kenny’s Damp Limited changes to Kenny’s Damp (Kent) Limited.
This scenario should set alarm bells ringing as, generally, it means the company has gone out of business and then set up again under a different name.
Try “Googling” the company to see what comes up. Or see what comes up when you type the central part of their name, such as “Kenny’s Damp feedback”.
By doing your homework and researching the market using these simple steps, it is possible to find a contractor who will not only get the job done but will likely be around for the foreseeable future if needed again.
A newer warning sign: fake credentials and AI-generated content
Since I first wrote this guide, we’ve started noticing a new pattern worth adding to the checklist for anyone searching for damp proof specialists near me.
A growing number of websites now appear professional at first glance, complete with what look like proper trade body logos and polished branding, but fall apart the moment you actually check them:
- They’re not registered at Companies House, or they’re a shell company set up only recently with no real trading history behind it. This is exactly why the Companies House check further up this page matters more than ever, it takes two minutes and tells you a lot.
- They display logos for trade bodies like the PCA without genuine membership. A logo image can be copied onto any website by anyone. The only reliable way to check is to search the trade body’s own official member directory directly, not to trust the logo on the company’s own site.
- Their blog suddenly has hundreds of posts, often all published on the same day or within days of each other, and they all read strangely similar. This is a telltale sign of AI-generated content being mass-produced and dumped onto a site, rather than genuine advice written by someone who’s actually done the work. It’s worth checking the publish dates on a company’s blog before assuming volume means expertise.
We’ve personally encountered and reported a company locally that was using our trade body’s logo without holding genuine membership. It’s a good reminder that logos alone prove nothing, always check directly with the trade body itself (search for their member listing on their page)
None of this is about AI itself being a bad thing, it’s a tool, and plenty of legitimate businesses use it sensibly (we definitely do!). The real question is always whether genuine, hands-on experience sits behind what you’re reading, or whether a website’s just been built to look convincing quickly. If in doubt, pick up the phone and ask a specific question about your actual problem, a genuine specialist will answer it properly. Someone reading from a script or a generated page usually can’t.
Questions for your damp specialists
Once you’ve narrowed down your shortlist of damp proof specialists near me, ask these questions before you proceed:
- Is the surveyor qualified? Ensure that the person inspecting your property is qualified as a Certificated Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (CSTDB, formerly known as CSRT). Only this qualification shows you that the surveyor has undergone rigorous training. We’ve written more on what CSTDB actually means here.
- Is it the actual surveyor’s qualification, not just the company’s? A company can be PCA accredited while sending someone less experienced out to survey your property. Ask specifically who will be attending and what qualifications that individual holds.
- If you need advice on below-ground waterproofing, ensure the surveyor is a Structural Waterproofing Surveyor (CSSW), as this qualification indicates exceptional knowledge in this specialist area.
- Do they charge for their survey, and if not, why not? A free survey means the company’s income depends on finding work to recommend, which is a conflict of interest worth being aware of before you agree to anything.
- Are guarantees offered for the specialist works? Does the company provide a guarantee for the damp proof specialists’ work? For how long is it valid? If you wish, ask to see a sample copy of the guarantee, and read it over to ensure you’re happy with the content. Be cautious of anyone offering 20 or 30 year guarantees. A guarantee is only as good as the company’s ability to honour it that far into the future, and insurers generally won’t underwrite realistic cover for that length of time. A shorter, genuinely backed guarantee from a company likely to still be around is worth far more than a long one from a company that might not be.
- Can the firm offer you an insurance-backed policy? Are you given the option to take out an insurance policy for an additional fee to cover the lifetime of the guarantee, protecting the works if the company goes out of business? The best product on the market is QANW Limited.
Remember, a guarantee is worthless if the company has gone out of business – only PCA members can offer a QANW insurance policy that is valid even if they go out of business.
Ensure you have considered all of the above before you make your choice as to who should carry out a survey or work on your behalf.
Who Are We?
If you’re searching for damp proof specialists near me in Kent, here’s who you’d actually be dealing with. South East Timber and Damp Limited is one of the longest-established damp specialists in Kent, a family-run company based in Woodchurch, Kent, serving homeowners and businesses across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, including Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Tenterden, Maidstone, and the surrounding areas.
We’ve been established for over 20 years, and our lead surveyor, Dean Webster, has more than 35 years of hands-on experience in the industry. Dean holds both the CSTDB and CSSW qualifications, the highest recognised surveying credentials in damp proofing and structural waterproofing, and very few surveyors in the UK hold both together.
We’re proud members of the Property Care Association, Which? Trusted Traders, TrustMark, and Kent County Council’s Trading Standards Approved scheme. We hold a 9.63 rating on Checkatrade from over 276 independently verified 5 star reviews, and every specialist remedial job we carry out is backed by a genuine, QANW insurance-backed guarantee.
None of that matters as much as this, though: we’ll always tell you honestly if you don’t need to do work. We’d rather lose a job than talk someone into treatment they don’t need, and that approach is exactly why so many of our customers come back to us or send friends and family our way.
Meet Dean & Annabelle Webster, owners of South East Timber & Damp Limited.
If you’d like to find out more about our services, email us at [email protected], or call us on 01732 884535. We’re based in Woodchurch, Kent, TN26.