Leak Detection in Heckmondwike

A tenant can tell you where the water shows. They usually cannot tell you how long it has been happening, and in a terrace the honest answer can be months. Water from a slow leak soaks into joists and plaster well before it marks a ceiling.

We look past the stain: check the meter and the boiler pressure, test the obvious suspects in the room above, and narrow it to one source. You get the cause explained and a price for the repair before anything is done, which is what most landlords need to make a quick decision.

In a terraced house the bathroom usually sits above the kitchen or the back room, and a stain on that ceiling is very often a bathroom problem. The usual suspects are the seal round a shower tray or bath, the waste joints underneath, and the supply pipes to the taps and toilet. Some only leak while the shower is running, which is why a stain can come and go.

Telling them apart is largely a matter of running each one in turn and watching. If it turns out to be a failed seal rather than the pipework, we will say so, so the right fix is done first time.

Many buildings and landlord insurance policies include trace and access cover, which pays towards finding a hidden leak and getting to it. Insurers generally want to know the cause, so photos of the damage, the meter and the boiler gauge taken before work starts are all useful.

If you are planning to claim, mention it when you book. We will explain what we found and what failed in plain terms you can pass on.