Mould makes no noise, and a closed house is where it grows best
Damp and water damage checks
Damp gets measured, not smelled on your return
A closed house with the shutters down builds up damp without anyone noticing, until the stain appears on the ceiling or the smell in the wardrobes. Measuring it with an instrument, always at the same spots, shows it rising before it shows on the wall.
Price
What you get
- Air humidity measured with a hygrometer in every room, noted and compared with the last time.
- Stains, cracks and suspect areas measured with a surface moisture meter, with a photo.
- The usual spots checked: under the sinks, behind the toilets, beside the windows and inside wardrobes.
- The dehumidifier emptied if you have one, and absorbers changed when due.
- A spell of airing on each visit, with the windows closed again on the way out.
- If there is water damage: the stopcock closed, dated photos and the file for your insurer.
Why this matters now
There are three different kinds of damp and each has its cause: condensation in an unventilated house, rising damp in the walls of a ground floor, and water coming in through a leak or a seepage. All three start the same way, with a smell and a shadow on the wall, and only a repeated measurement at the same spot tells whether it is standing still or spreading.
What this service is NOT
We are not a waterproofing or drying company, and we make no technical diagnosis: we measure, photograph and compare. If the cause needs a surveyor or a specialist, you choose them and they invoice you. Nor are we your insurer or a loss adjuster: you file the claim, and we leave you the photos, the dates and the wording ready so it takes five minutes.
Price
Questions about this service
How long do I have to notify my insurer?
The Spanish Insurance Contract Act sets seven days from when you learn of the loss, unless your policy gives longer. With the house empty, that day is the day someone finds it: the sooner someone goes in, the sooner the clock starts working for you.
The stain comes from the flat above. Who pays?
Each owner must keep their home in good repair and make good damage caused by their negligence: the Horizontal Property Act says so. If the leak is your neighbour's, their insurance normally covers it; if it comes from a shared downpipe or the roof, it is a matter for the community. Either way, dated photos from before and after are what you will be asked for.
Is there a guide to understand it all first?
Yes. The guide to damp and water damage in a closed house explains the three kinds of damp, what to do on the day a leak appears and who is responsible for what. It is in Spanish and English, in the guides section.
The other services
The other areas
Official sources
This page was last checked on 4 September 2026
Price
Tell us your case in five lines
We answer the same working day, in your language. And if your case is not for us, we say so and tell you who to go to.