There have been huge campaigns to make houses energy efficient. It makes sense to pay less for your heating where you can.
But not every house should have cavity wall insulation (CWI) installed.
If cavity wall insulation is wrongly installed it can go very badly - the material that is blown in can become completely saturated with water. This causes major problems including damp interior walls, mould growth, damaged decoration, mouldy furniture and clothing. There can also be constant damp odours and reduced insulation making the house harder to heat.
Serious health problems can follow. This can include recurring chest infections and asthma. Children are particularly susceptible to this.
Who is affected?
Generally speaking, areas most severely affected by driving rain. This is where poorly installed cavity wall insulation can cause a real problem. These are mainly in the West of the UK. However this doesn’t mean every house in those areas wasn’t suitable for CWI. It very much depends on how sheltered or exposed each property is.
Some houses are just not suitable for cavity wall insulation. For example, some cavities are too small for this type of insulation.
You may have already complained to the company that put the CWI in. They may have tried to solve the problem. Some of those solutions can make the situation worse. For example, if only a small section of CWI is taken out that can reduce the insulation even further.
What can you do?
Most cavity wall insulation came with a guarantee. A lot of those are now held in a central point by CIGA.
The company who installed CWI badly may well be liable for poor workmanship.
You may also have a contract with a different company, who arranged all of this work for you. They have a contractual duty to sort the problem out.
The surveyor or inspector who recommended cavity wall insulation to you may also be liable if they did not do their job properly. This may also be true if they didn’t inform you of other steps that should be taken, such as repairing a gable wall.
The difficulty is that these possible opponents will not pay out willingly. They may recommend partial solutions that make the situation worse. They are unlikely to agree to sort out all of the issues, nor to pay any of the compensation that is due to you.
It is crucial that an appropriate expert report is obtained. That can make the difference between winning and losing. We have vast experience in finding the right people in this area of law.
We act for thousands of people in these situations. We regularly help clients to solve damp problems with their home - whether they own it, or it is rented. We can also advise on any personal injury claims for health conditions which may have developed as a result of living in a damp property, for advice tailored to your circumstances call us on 01616 966 229 or complete our online enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you directly.
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