jrpfinch

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By subsidising non-profitable routes (I'm not saying the Northern Line is such a route), you're giving rich people something cheaply that they should be paying for (see also proposed free care for the elderly). By doing this you're redistributing wealth from the less well off to the more well off. Whether it becomes more affordable for poor people is irrelevant. If you want to make trains more affordable, the answer is to have fewer poor people. This can be achieved by taxing them less, giving them more benefits, creating jobs, providing them better education... Giving middle class people stuff for free (or very cheaply) is one of the reasons we have such a massive budget deficit. Examples of "stuff" include subsidised railways, state pensions at young ages and CGT exemptions on primary properties. It's no surprise the government is rolling back these benefits. I predict Labour will continue to do so in the likely event they win the 2015 election.

Unless you have highly distortionary ticket pricing, public funding of railways disproportionately benefits the well off. Rich people travel more generally. Poor people, when they do travel, use buses.

Here is a damp expert who specifically distances himself from the PCA: http://www.dampnessdiagnosis.com/DDCContactUs.htm Will report back if I decide to use them.

I think I have the definitive answer from a structural engineer: There are 4 causes of dampness: 1) external ground levels being higher than the internal floor level, so moisture in the ground can pass directly through the wall. Best remedy: lower external ground levels to at least 150mm below internal floor levels. 2) defective rainwater goods (blocked or broken gutters or with incorrect falls, or downpipes with open joints, blockages or cracks). Best remedy: replace. 3) leaking water pipes: incoming mains water, central heating pipes etc. Remedy: find the leak and cure it. 4) condensation. Best remedy: improve ventilation (especially under-floor), add heating, insulate, avoid sources of water like boiling water from cooking or baths near cold surfaces

Concrete? Gravel? Some sort of membrane? I don't know. Like I say, not an expert.

Thanks sedm. This is the problem with damp-proofing companies. They put in DPCs, whatever the problem. I think my damp source is just inadequate ventilation. Possible blocked chimney and airbrick. Does anyone know what the flooring of a Victorian ground floor sits on? Is it likely to be be floorboards on joists with a cavity? What would be below the cavity? I know nothing about building and am trying to find pictures on Google.

I'll try to keep an open mind, but looking at the other threads, Hawley seems to recommend these people: independentspecialistsurveys.co.uk They are yet another dreaded PCA-accredited firm. The links in their "Expert Witnesses" section all refer to people who trash Jeff Howells. Interesting. Sorry if I'm starting to sound like a paranoid conspiracy theorist. I think I'm really just looking for a decent builder. Surely a builder can identify a lack of ventilation/leaky drainpipe/high soil line or whatever the damp source is. I'd like to eliminate the damp source, stick in a dehumidifier for a week or two, repaint and wait to see what happens. I'm not interested in chemical damp proof coursing or spurious testing.

Thank you EPB. That's true. Truly independent experts will charge. Unfortunately not all experts who charge are truly independent.

Timberwise come bottom of the Which? survey of damp experts. Perhaps I'll try Rentokil or Peter Cox, although neither of those were perfect either.

Thank you for the suggestions so far. Jeff looks great. I may buy his book. I am looking for a DPC skeptic like him. Please don't take this criticism personally: Timberwise seem to be heavy on the damp-proofing and are members of the PCA. Timberwise may well be a great firm, but I'm skeptical. The Which? conversation appears to have been taken over by somebody who continually recommends PCA members. As far as I can tell PCA = DPC salespeople/PR. The hurdle to joining the PCA does not appear to be high in terms of professionalism or workmanship (see my example above).

Exactly. Camberwell Green has all that stuff not too far away.

I've just moved into a Victorian House near Denmark Hill. There is a damp problem in the corner of the lower ground floor. The damp source is not immediately obvious. I've spoken to a number of damp specialists, including "independent" damp surveyors, all of whom appear to be members of the Property Care Association ('PCA'). I'm not convinced by members of the PCA. The previous homeowner had to pay a PCA member ?50(!) to have a damp guarantee transferred to our name. After taking the money, the PCA member got our address wrong and put a PO Box address and non-existent mobile phone number on the guarantee. Another PCA member emailed me to say "We have signed up to a code of ethics that prevents us getting involved in potential guarantee claims against other contractors". See where I'm going here? I'm looking for a trusted non-PCA professional (architect/structural engineer?) who I can pay to examine our house and say something along the lines of "Put an airbrick here/drain there/dehumidifier here/dig out that soil/you have a leaky pipe". Normal buildings surveyors don't appear to be much use beyond running along a skirting board with a moisture meter. I'd be grateful for your thoughts and advice.