LANDLORDS AND CAVITY WALL INSULATION PROBLEMS

Many private and social landlords have experienced an increase in the number of tenants complaining about damp and mould in their homes. With many cases making local headlines it is an issue that landlords need to address. As a landlord you have a legal obligation to your tenant, and if a tenant suffers ill health or discomfort or loss due to damp, you could face a compensation claim from your client and their solicitor. Over the past years, landlords may have been sued for housing disrepair when the ultimate liability could be down to the cavity wall insulation which was not linked at that time.

We offer a tailored solution for landlords of all sizes to help put their properties right and tenants happy.

The insulation boom

The cause of many of these damp issues appears to be a failure in Wall Cavity Insulation (Cavity Wall Insulation); much of it installed through grant funded programmes. Schemes such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) which ran from 2008 -2012 and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) launched in 2013, led to a huge increase in properties being insulated, most fitted free of charge. Subsequent failures in the insulation have led to a suspicion that many of the installation firms were more interested in installing quantity rather than quality. We have heard stories of poorly trained employees attending properties, drilling a hole and ‘filling’ the cavity with absolutely no experience and no supervision or checking taking place afterwards, and the installation being done on the back of a pre-survey which was carried out by a door-to-door salesman, often students and untrained individuals who have little or no industry knowledge or qualifications.

Failure of cavity wall insulation

There were tens of thousands of properties that should never have been fitted with cavity wall insulation in the first place, which could now be at threat from damp and mould. Some had pre-existing damage to the exterior walls such as damaged bricks or pointing or visible cracks in the wall that allowed damp to affect the insulation, while other properties had compromised damp proof courses which could be directing moisture into the insulant rather than out of the house, and some properties had no active damp course at all.

Our surveyors have also identified partially clad properties that had gaps in the insulation which caused cold spots on interior walls. There were even properties installed of non-standard construction methods, such as concrete slab and steel frame, which were never designed for CWI.A lot of properties our surveyors have inspected have absolutely minimum amounts of insulation installed which is a recipe for trouble.

The BBA issued guidelines for pre-checks and qualifying properties, but it seems many contractors flouted these checks and went ahead with installation purely for the financial benefit and knowing the checking of such was very rare if at all.

Most serious of all is that the health of the people living in these damp homes could be affected. If you or a family member has had signs of respiratory disorders like asthma since the insulation was fitted, this could be a direct result and your claim could encompass a provision for personal injury.

Support for landlords

If you believe your tenanted property has a problem with damp of any kind, and have had cavity wall insulation fitted in your properties, fill in the contact form and let us know.

Free survey inspection of your property portfolio from a GDA / DEA qualified and experienced surveyor as well as a dedicated claims handler who understands the whole process and manages your review process and keeps you updated in real time.

There’s no fee to you for the surveyors’ inspection and report; there’s no fee from us for our service, and your specialist solicitor works on a No Win No Fee service, so you’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.

We manage all aspects of the review and reporting and recommend one of our specialist panel solicitors, leaving you free to manage your properties.

Successful claims could result in substantial compensation allowing you to put your properties right.

Call us FREE PHONE 0800-8-654321 to enquire about your free surveyor inspection

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