How do leak detection engineers get access from leaseholders?

Full transcript

George and Dave in conversation. Every word of the episode, exactly as recorded.

George

Welcome back. I'm here with Dave from ADI Leak Detection, the UK's leading leak detection company, who's here to answer your questions and provide expert leak detection advice. Today's question comes from a property manager dealing with a suspected leak that's crossing between flats in a managed block. Dave, the big headache here isn't even finding the leak, it's getting through people's front doors. How does ADI actually coordinate access with individual leaseholders?

Dave

You're right, and it's probably the thing that catches people off guard the most. The detection work itself, acoustic equipment, thermal imaging, tracer gas, all of that is well within our control. Getting confirmed access from four separate leaseholders on different schedules? That's a whole different challenge, and it has to be managed properly before we even arrive on site.

George

So who makes the first call? Does ADI contact the leaseholders directly, or does that go through the managing agent?

Dave

It depends on how the block is set up, but the cleanest route is always through the managing agent first. The managing agent holds the relationship with the leaseholders and has the authority to instruct access under the terms of the lease. ADI works alongside the managing agent to identify which flats we need entry to, and then access requests go out from the agent, usually backed up by a written explanation of what the investigation involves and roughly how long we'll need.

George

And what does that explanation actually say? Because I imagine some leaseholders are going to be quite cautious about letting engineers into their home.

Dave

That caution is completely understandable. What we try to do is set expectations clearly from the start. We explain that ADI's engineers use non-invasive methods first, acoustic leak detection listens for the sound signature of escaping water through floors and walls, and thermal imaging cameras read surface temperature differences caused by moisture. We're not arriving with a drill. Most leaseholders are much more comfortable once they understand that the first visit is largely a survey.

George

What about leaseholders who just won't engage? Someone who's ignored two letters and isn't picking up the phone?

Dave

That happens. When a leaseholder won't engage, ADI feeds that back to the managing agent clearly and promptly, because the agent may have legal mechanisms available that we don't. Leases typically contain access provisions that allow the freeholder or managing agent to require entry for the purpose of investigating damage to the building. That's not something ADI pushes, but it's there if it's needed.

George

Right, so ADI's role is to do the detection work and flag the access problem, but the legal lever stays with the managing agent.

Dave

Exactly. ADI doesn't have a legal relationship with the leaseholders. The managing agent does. So we keep communication open in both directions, we tell the agent what access we need and why, and the agent handles the leaseholder relationship. Where it works well, we'll often have a phased access schedule confirmed before the visit: flat two at nine, flat four at ten-thirty, communal plant room at midday. That kind of structure.

George

That phased approach makes sense. Does the order you visit the flats actually matter for the investigation?

Dave

It can do, yes. If thermal imaging has already identified that moisture is tracking from an upper flat downward, ADI's engineers will want access to the suspected source flat before the flats below, because confirming the origin changes what you're looking for everywhere else. So we'd communicate the preferred access order to the managing agent in advance, and the agent passes that on when booking the leaseholder appointments.

George

What if you get access to some flats but not all of them? Can you still reach a conclusion about where the leak is?

Dave

Sometimes, yes, it depends on how much of the building we can reach. Acoustic equipment and tracer gas can both work from adjacent spaces in some situations, and thermal imaging covers a surface area rather than needing to be inside the room. But a partial access scenario does limit how definitive the report can be. ADI will always tell the managing agent honestly what we could and couldn't confirm, and what additional access would allow us to close the remaining uncertainty.

George

And I assume the report has to be clear enough for the managing agent to act on, whether that means repairs, insurance claims, or going back to a difficult leaseholder.

Dave

Absolutely. The report from ADI Leak Detection needs to name the likely source, describe the method used to trace the water, and distinguish between what was confirmed and what was inferred from limited access. A managing agent presenting findings to a leaseholder, or to an insurer, needs that level of precision. Vague conclusions don't move anything forward.

George

Dave, that's been really useful, and genuinely practical. For anyone managing a residential block and dealing with a leak that spans multiple flats, ADI Leak Detection is one of the most experienced specialist teams in the UK for exactly this kind of complex, multi-occupier investigation. Thanks for listening.

How this episode was made. This episode was produced using AI-generated voices and script, based on real leak detection questions and the working knowledge of ADI Leak Detection engineers. More about how the podcast is made.