Dampness

[separation]

I have some dampness on my bedroom floor, which is slowly rotting my carpet.

I have just called the managing agent for my building who instructed me that the building insurance I pay them only cover the external walls of my flat but as the problem is taking place inside it they can't help.

Who shall I contact to assess where the dampness is coming from: a surveyor/ a builder or other?

Thank you in anticipation.

[PatriciaH]

Hi, what floor do you live on ?sounds like its coming in from outside if you are on the ground floor. Are there any water pipes under the floor that could be leaking? Take the carpet up and investigate.Good luck!

[separation]

I am ground floor. I have lifted the smelly carpet and it is not damp underneath but I can smell damp coming through the gap at the bottom of the wall.

[WendyS]

Just a couple of thoughts: Is the wind blowing rain into a nearby outside soor which perhaps has a gap round the edges? Alternatively if you're on the ground floor is there a ventilation brick anywhere just above the damp course which could be allowing too much moisture to get in and spread? The managing agents may probably have various tradesmen they use regularly for maintenance work on the flats they manage - perhaps they could send one of these round to check for you. .

[GuavaJellie]

You ask whom you should contact and it should be a Chartered Building Surveyor (not a builder). The Surveyor will diagnose the problem, suggest the remedy and will prepare a claim under your insurance (including recovery of his fee). It sounds to me as if your Managing Agent is trying to brush you off. Your reference to a "gap at the bottom of the wall" puzzles me, and if you could post a photograph of it here I might be able to get you going in the right direction.

[stanleyman]

Another possibility is poor ventilation in the bedroom causing condensation damp patches, usually in corners where there is little air circulation. Check also that it is not dampness or leaks from an adjacent bathroom or radiator. Finally have you eliminated (literally) incontinent pets? If there is nothing inside causing it then you do need professional help to establish if the structure is faulty.