Hi, I live in a council flat that had a lot of damp proofing work done prior to me moving in six years ago.
Most of it has failed. Some issues, such as water draining over the side of the steps of the property above I have identified and sorted out myself.
But there are two walls where I cannot do anything about the external problems - one is the retaining wall at the back of my bathroom. It is buried in unremovable earth from top to bottom.
The other problem is part of my hallway and toilet are at the end of someone else's garden - I live in a Victorian basement flat and I think when it was built they incorporated the original rear garden wall of that property into a side wall of this one.
That garden has been raised to a level of 70 cms over the ground level of my property. I.E. Above the DPC.
On both walls the Silka tanking system was used. It began to fail as soon as I moved in, and they came back numerous times to cover up this failure. I.E. The cowboys favourite friend Unibond. But finally they admitted the whole thing has to be done again. But they're just going to do exactly the same thing again. I.E. The Silka tanking system.
I'm refusing to let them do this as I believe the same thing will happen all over again, and what needs to be done is a membrane/batten/plasterboard tanking system in the bathroom retaining wall, and some kind of vertical DPC to stop it spreading to the side wall, which it has.
And for the neighbours - leaseholders, rich ones - to be ordered to take their garden back to its original level. Which would be below the DPC in my Hallway/toilet.
I'd appreciate some advice as whether I am in the right or wrong on this issue, as it seems to me my local council is allowing this company to scam tax payers money - they only give a 5 year guarantee on their tanking systems, and as they dragged it out for 6 years they'll get paid all over gain for doing the same thing.
Most of it has failed. Some issues, such as water draining over the side of the steps of the property above I have identified and sorted out myself.
But there are two walls where I cannot do anything about the external problems - one is the retaining wall at the back of my bathroom. It is buried in unremovable earth from top to bottom.
The other problem is part of my hallway and toilet are at the end of someone else's garden - I live in a Victorian basement flat and I think when it was built they incorporated the original rear garden wall of that property into a side wall of this one.
That garden has been raised to a level of 70 cms over the ground level of my property. I.E. Above the DPC.
On both walls the Silka tanking system was used. It began to fail as soon as I moved in, and they came back numerous times to cover up this failure. I.E. The cowboys favourite friend Unibond. But finally they admitted the whole thing has to be done again. But they're just going to do exactly the same thing again. I.E. The Silka tanking system.
I'm refusing to let them do this as I believe the same thing will happen all over again, and what needs to be done is a membrane/batten/plasterboard tanking system in the bathroom retaining wall, and some kind of vertical DPC to stop it spreading to the side wall, which it has.
And for the neighbours - leaseholders, rich ones - to be ordered to take their garden back to its original level. Which would be below the DPC in my Hallway/toilet.
I'd appreciate some advice as whether I am in the right or wrong on this issue, as it seems to me my local council is allowing this company to scam tax payers money - they only give a 5 year guarantee on their tanking systems, and as they dragged it out for 6 years they'll get paid all over gain for doing the same thing.