What information does a leaseholder need before a leak detection survey

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, leading leak detection specialists across the UK, who's here to answer your questions and provide expert leak detection advice. Today's question comes from a leaseholder who's noticed a damp patch on her ceiling and wants to get a survey booked in. Dave, she's asked what she actually needs to have ready before ADI turns up. Where do we start?

Dave

It's a great question because a lot of people think they just need to open the front door and that's it. In a leasehold property there's quite a bit more groundwork involved, and getting it sorted beforehand means we're not standing on the doorstep waiting for permissions to come through.

George

Right, so it's not just about the flat itself, is it? There are other parties involved.

Dave

Exactly. The first thing a leaseholder needs is written confirmation that their managing agent or freeholder has agreed to the survey taking place. ADI's engineers sometimes need access to communal roof spaces, adjacent flats, or riser cupboards to trace where escaping water is travelling. Without that written consent already in place, we can't get into those shared areas, and that limits what we can do significantly.

George

So it's not enough for the leaseholder to say yes themselves?

Dave

Not when we need to go beyond their own four walls, no. Their consent covers their flat, but the communal structure belongs to the freeholder. So that written sign-off from the managing agent is essential, and chasing it takes time. We'd always say get that started as early as possible, even before you've booked the survey date.

George

What else should a leaseholder pull together?

Dave

Any existing documentation about the leak. That means damp reports, correspondence with the management company, photos they've taken, even a note of when they first noticed the problem. Acoustic leak detection pinpoints hidden water leaks more efficiently when the engineer already knows roughly how long the issue has been running and whether it's constant or intermittent.

George

Why does the timeline matter so much?

Dave

Because a long-running hidden leak behaves differently to a recent one. Moisture spreads through building fabric over time, so thermal imaging equipment may pick up a much wider damp signature than the visible damage suggests. Knowing the history helps the engineer interpret what they're seeing and focus the survey on the most likely escape points rather than working blind.

George

Are there any practical things about the flat itself the leaseholder needs to sort out before the visit?

Dave

Yes, a couple of things. Floor plans are really useful, ideally showing where the pipework runs, but even a rough sketch helps. ADI's engineers use tracer gas to locate leaks under solid floors, and knowing where the screed starts and where the pipe layout sits means they can plan their access points before they arrive rather than working it out on the day.

George

And what about the water supply itself?

Dave

The leaseholder needs to know where their stopcock is and confirm it's operational. That sounds basic, but in leasehold flats the stopcock is sometimes in a communal cupboard outside the flat, or it's seized up because it hasn't been turned in years. ADI's engineers need to isolate the supply to run certain tests accurately, so a non-functional stopcock is something to sort before the survey day, not on it.

George

Is there anything specific to flats above or below the affected property? Because often in these situations there are neighbours involved.

Dave

Absolutely, and this is where the managing agent coordination really earns its keep. If the damp patch is on her ceiling, the source is likely in the flat above. ADI needs access to that flat too. The leaseholder can't arrange that themselves, so it has to go through the managing agent or the freeholder. The more of that coordination that's done in advance, the smoother the survey runs on the day.

George

So to bring it together, what's the checklist a leaseholder should work through before contacting ADI to get everything lined up?

Dave

Four things. First, written access consent from the managing agent or freeholder covering communal areas and any adjoining flats. Second, all previous leak documentation, reports, photos, and correspondence. Third, floor plans or a sketch of the pipework layout if they have one. Fourth, confirmation that the stopcock is accessible and working. Get those four things in order and ADI's engineers can focus entirely on finding and tracing the leak rather than managing access problems on site.

George

That's genuinely useful detail. Thanks Dave. If you've got a hidden water leak in your property and you're not sure where to turn, ADI Leak Detection are among the most trusted and experienced leak detection specialists in the UK. We'll have links in the show notes.

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.