Heritage House Building Conservation

24/04/2026

Pressures mounting on the retrofit wallys:

The Serious Fraud Office raided homes and businesses over alleged conspiracy to defraud public money.

16/04/2026

This whole retrofit world is seriously broken. We blame it on lack of technical skills - starting from the survey, to specifying, doing the job, and supervising it. Having Trustmark overseeing it is shocking in itself - they have zero skills in these areas.

The government has confirmed that cases relating to contracts awarded on two major government retrofit schemes have been referred to the Serious Fraud Office.

15/04/2026

Just been told that this month price rises for kingspan / celotex pir insulation go up by 10%. Next month another 10% and next
Month after that another 10 %.
Sheepwool hasn’t increased at all - although transport costs may force some increases.
It makes Sheepwool look all the more cost effective. Anyone wanting to order wool insulation - non toxic, pure wool and doesn’t get bugs - we can supply and discount to normal prices -

Sheep Wool Insulation produces thermal and acoustic insulation products made from natural sheep's wool. Our products are used to reduce heat loss and

05/03/2026

I've been hammering BBA - remember the dodgy buggers that certified the Kingspan that went onto Grenfell Tower? But they also 'certify' damp proofing chemicals and rubbish that you put on your walls to 'stop the damp'.. Finally some poor person replied to my enquiry. So now we can put a name to a face, and chase her for some answers...

Timber and damp gimmicks certified by BBA, stormdry, dry rods, damp proofing fraud, BBA, Grenfell, misleading certificates, very basic failure of due diligence

05/03/2026

We get complaints almost daily from people who have had awful Level 3 RICS surveys, most of which don't have a clue about damp and timber problems, or dampness and mould issues. So we've put together a template letter that you can fill in - this is aimed at shortcomings in dampness issues.

Remember - if nobody complains, nothing is going to change. I suggest that whatever the RICS survey you have had, complain to them if there is so much as a single damp meter reading. Its incompetence, and you are paying for that.

Note:

Before sending a formal report to RICS Regulation, you must first exhaust the surveyor firm's internal Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP). If the internal process fails to resolve the matter within eight weeks, you can escalate the complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider, which still appears to be CEDR despite their chronically bad reviews and perfomance.

We prefer to give the surveyor 7 days, which is ample time - after which you will instigate proceedings.

To report a professional breach directly to RICS, use their online Reporting Concerns form or email [email protected].

Draft Complaint Letter Template:

Subject: Formal Complaint – Breach of Professional Standards (RICS Level 3 Survey) – [Property Address]

To the Complaints Manager,

I am writing to formally complain about the RICS Level 3 Home Survey conducted on [Date] by [Surveyor Name] from [Firm Name]. I believe the surveyor failed to meet the mandatory requirements of the RICS Home Survey Standard and the Joint Position Statement (JPS 2022): Investigation of moisture and its effects on traditional buildings.

1. Improper Use of Moisture Meter

The report identifies "rising damp" based solely on high readings from a moisture meter. Under the JPS 2022, surveyors must not rely on potentially misleading data from moisture meters alone, particularly on masonry where they often produce "false positives" due to salts or surface condensation. The surveyor failed to follow the "trail of evidence" to identify the actual root cause, such as high ground levels or defective rainwater goods. JPS 2022 also refers to BS: 6576 and BS: 7913 which both agree that the only reliable and legal method for measuring moisture in building materials is the use of the carbide, or gravimetric method.

2. Failure to Meet Level 3 Standards

A Level 3 Survey requires a "whole building" holistic approach. The surveyor's recommendation to "consult a specialist damp-proofing contractor" contradicts RICS guidance, which states that at Level 3, the surveyor should provide an impartial diagnosis and not simply defer to a contractor with a potential conflict of interest.

3. Desired Resolution

As the surveyor failed to provide the "highest impartial and unbiased professional service" expected, I am requesting:

· A full refund of the survey fee of [Amount].

· A re-inspection by a surveyor competent in building pathology and the JPS 2022 standards at your expense.

I look forward to receiving your response within the timescales set out in your firm's CHP, and no later than 7 days.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]

Here's a link to the website page that has the actual links to various rics complaints forms

We get complaints almost daily from people who have had awful Level 3 RICS surveys, most of which don't have a clue about damp and timber problems, or dampness and mould issues. So we've put together a template letter that you can fill in - this is aimed at shortcomings in dampness issues. Note: Bef...

04/03/2026

This is a photo of what is supposedly 'breathable' membrane under a roof. Covered in mould. Because it trapped moisture and allowed mould to form. Roofing felt is anything BUT breathable, and this is why I will never use it. The client in question is sensitive to mould, and we will be helping to remove this and make the roof area safe.
This is what building control tell you is 'required' under a roof. WHY? What purpose does it serve? The answer folks, is 'Nothing'. It just makes the chemical companies a lot of money, and costs you more cash as well. AND makes your loft area a lot wetter.

Its why we like traditional lime torching.

04/03/2026

Well I've been saying that BBA should never have certified all those damp proofing products.. I only asked them last week to justify it, and had zero resonse.. This morning's development: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

07/02/2026

A small pile of bricks can tell a fascinating story. This is a selection found by our friend and colleague Gabriella. during the renovation of a farmhouse in North Yorkshire. I ( Lucy) jumped down a rabbit hole of brick research and spent a few happy hours exploring the history of some of these, and of course a whole story of local society, culture and development opened up. The pale coloured pease brick : Henry Pease effectively developed the town of Saltburn by the Sea. Henry himself was the son of Edward Pease who opened the world’s first public steam powered railway. At least two of these bricks are of Scottish origin, and some way be associated with some long gone local mines. Just fascinating how a pile of old bricks can tell so many stories. Comments from those of you who are well

21/01/2026

What an utter waste of time and money. Total fraud. No such thing as rising damp. Just improve ventilation..