The missing damp proof course photo

A damp proof course is one of those details that, done properly, nobody ever notices, and done badly, becomes a very expensive problem a year or two down the line. It sits low down in the wall, gets covered by brickwork and render fairly quickly, and unless someone specifically photographs it during installation, there's no way to prove after the fact that it was fitted at the right height, correctly lapped, or continuous around the building.

When damp shows up later, whether it's a mortgage valuer flagging it, a new owner noticing a musty smell, or a client pointing at a damp patch and asking what happened, the first question anyone asks is whether the DPC was installed correctly. If the answer is "yes, definitely" but there's no photo, that answer carries almost no weight. Damp specialists, surveyors and warranty providers all want to see evidence, not reassurance.

This is a particular problem on extensions and refurbishments, where a DPC has to be correctly linked into an existing one that might be at a different height or a different type entirely. Getting that junction right and photographing it is often the single most useful thing you can do to protect yourself, because it's exactly the detail that gets questioned when something goes wrong nearby, even if the actual cause is unrelated.

It also matters for NHBC and other new home warranty inspections, where DPC continuity is a specific checked item. If a warranty provider or surveyor asks for evidence during their own inspection and the moment has passed, you're stuck relying on their willingness to take your word for it, which is not something any of us should want to depend on.

None of this requires anything complicated. A photo taken at the moment of installation, tagged with the date and where on the building it was taken, removes the argument entirely later. It's the kind of evidence that costs nothing to capture and can be worth thousands if it's ever needed.