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What happens during a leak detection survey
A leak survey starts with a phone call. This is the whole sequence, what the engineer needs from you and the tenant, and what you get to send the landlord at the end of it.
Leak detection survey steps
Step 1: You call the office
Give the postcode, the type of property, what the tenant has reported and since when. The office team will ask about access and the water and heating system, then give you current availability and a quote.
Step 2: You arrange access with the tenant
Agree the time with the tenant and who will let the engineer in. If the flat above or below may be involved, arrange that access too. Parking close to the door matters: the equipment is heavy.
Step 3: The engineer arrives
The engineer looks at the meter, the stopcock and the boiler first, then walks the affected rooms with whoever is at the property.
Step 4: The survey narrows it down
Pressure testing separates the circuits. Thermal imaging, moisture mapping, acoustics, tracer gas and cameras then close in on the leak. Some tests need the water or heating off for a short while.
Step 5: The findings go in writing
A report with photographs, findings and recommendations that you can send straight to the landlord, a contractor or the insurer.
Step 6: Repair where it is quoted
Pipework and drainage leaks can be quoted and repaired, often on the same visit, and pressure tested afterwards. Roof and building-fabric leaks are located and reported for a roofer to fix.
Preparing a rented home for a leak detection survey
Most delays on the day come down to access. Sort these before the visit and the survey starts as soon as the equipment is in.
- Someone who knows the property. Where the meter, stopcock and boiler are, which rooms are affected and since when.
- Access to every relevant area. The affected rooms, the flat above or below, shared cupboards and any locked rooms, with keys arranged and the tenant's agreement to the appointment.
- Parking close to the door. The equipment is heavy. Above two storeys, lift access is needed. Parking or toll charges are passed on at cost.
- A short window when water or heating can go off. Pressure testing isolates circuits one at a time; agree with the tenant when that suits them.
- The heating prepared as ADI asks. Heating on that morning and, if it still heats up, running for a couple of hours before the appointment. Underfloor heating circuits switched off from early that morning. Tell the office when you book if leak sealant has ever been added.
- Who authorises the work, and what the insurer wants. Say who approves the survey and any repair, and pass on anything the landlord's insurer has asked for so the report answers it.
Your leak detection report
A written report, with photographs, that says where the leak is, how it was found and what to do about it. It is written so you can send it straight to the landlord, a contractor or the insurer.
Insurers call this work trace and access. If the landlord's insurer needs particular details in the report, tell the office when you book. Where ADI has carried out the repair, the report records the pressure retest as well.
Leak detection costs and repairs
Pipework and drainage leaks are quoted for repair, often done on the same visit, and pressure tested afterwards. Roofs and building fabric are located and reported for a roofing contractor. Repairs are always a separate, quoted item: the survey price covers finding the leak, and making access to it is part of the repair, so you can get the landlord's approval before any work starts.
"No find, no fee" is ADI's domestic guarantee for a single pipework leak at one property, within the limits in its terms. It excludes commercial enquiries, shared mains, central heating systems, structural leaks, drainage surveys and swimming pools. Ask the office whether it applies to the property you manage.
Call 0333 567 2621Questions about the survey visit
Can you survey while the tenant is living there?
Yes. Tell the office the property is occupied when you call. Agree the appointment with the tenant, who will let the engineer in and whether any rooms or cupboards are locked. Some tests need the water or heating off for a short period; the engineer agrees the timing with whoever is at the property.
Do you repair what you find?
Pipework and drainage leaks can be quoted and repaired, often on the same visit, and pressure tested afterwards. Roof and building-fabric leaks are located and reported for a roofer to fix. Repairs are charged separately from the survey and are quoted before any work starts, so you can get the landlord's approval first.
Will the report work for the landlord and the insurer?
The report is written so you can pass it straight on: photographs, findings and recommendations. Insurers call this work trace and access, and policies differ on what they cover, so ask the landlord's insurer what it needs before the visit and tell the office so the report answers it.
Arrange a leak detection survey with ADI
Describe what the tenant has noticed, the type of property and the postcode. The office team will talk through the survey, give you a quote and current availability, and book the engineer.
- Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:30pm
- Calls reach ADI Leak Detection's office in High Wycombe. Engineers cover England, Scotland and Wales.