Module 5 · Conducting a Damp Inspection
5.1 Pre-Inspection Questions & Preparation
7 min read
A ten-minute conversation before the visit routinely narrows a diagnosis further than an hour on site. The occupier has watched this problem for months and knows things no instrument can tell you — when it started, what makes it worse, what has already been tried. This lesson is about extracting that systematically rather than hoping it comes up.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Run a structured pre-inspection enquiry that captures diagnostic history.
- Interpret what each answer rules in or out.
- Agree scope and access before attending, not on the doorstep.
- Prepare equipment and information appropriate to the case.
Key terms
- Scope
- What the inspection will and will not cover — agreed in advance and restated in the report.
- Occupancy profile
- How many people live there, how the property is heated and ventilated, and how moisture is generated.
- Onset
- When the problem was first noticed, and what else was happening at the time.
- Remedial history
- What has previously been diagnosed, done and charged for — and whether it worked.
Read the rest of Conducting a Damp Inspection
Module 1 is open to everyone. The remaining six modules — building science, each damp mechanism in depth, meters and thermal imaging, the full inspection method, and report writing — are free too. We just ask for an email so you can pick up where you left off, and so we can send your certificate when you finish.