How do leak detectors access a block of flats when residents refuse entry

Full transcript

George and Dave in conversation. Every word of the episode, exactly as recorded.

George

Welcome to the ADI Leak Detection podcast. I'm here with Dave from ADI Leak Detection, leading leak detection specialists across the UK, who's here to answer your questions and provide expert leak detection advice. Today's question comes up a lot with blocks of flats: what actually happens when you turn up to trace a leak and one of the residents simply won't let you in?

Dave

It's probably the most common coordination headache we face on multi-occupancy jobs. A block might have twelve flats, we get access to ten of them, and the two we can't enter are right in the area where the moisture readings are pointing. You can't just walk away and say sorry, not our problem.

George

So what do you actually do? Do you just work around those flats?

Dave

Largely, yes, and the equipment lets us do quite a lot from outside a restricted flat. Acoustic leak detection equipment picks up the sound signature of water escaping under pressure through pipework, and we can press listening probes against walls, floors, and ceilings in the flats on either side or above and below. The leak doesn't know there's a locked door between us and it.

George

That's reassuring. What about thermal imaging? I've heard ADI uses that too.

Dave

Thermal imaging cameras detect the temperature difference that escaping water creates as it saturates a structure. If we're in the flat directly below a restricted unit, we point the camera at the ceiling and we're looking at the underside of that flat's floor. A wet patch shows up as a distinct thermal signature even though we haven't crossed the threshold of the problem property.

George

And tracer gas? I know ADI uses that on jobs where other methods haven't pinpointed things precisely enough.

Dave

Tracer gas is really useful here because it travels through the void spaces in a structure and then rises. We introduce the gas into the pipework or drainage system from a point we do have access to, and then we use a detection probe to trace where it surfaces. It passes through walls and floor voids regardless of whether a door is locked, so a refused flat doesn't always block us from gathering useful data.

George

Right. But presumably there are situations where you genuinely cannot confirm the source without getting inside that specific flat. What happens then?

Dave

That does happen. What ADI produces in those cases is a written technical report that documents exactly where the evidence is pointing. The acoustic readings, the thermal images, the tracer gas results from surrounding units, all presented clearly so that the managing agent or the freeholder has solid grounds to pursue formal access. In England and Wales, leases almost always contain an access clause that lets the freeholder or their appointed contractor enter a flat to investigate a leak affecting other properties.

George

So ADI's report essentially becomes the evidence pack that gets the door open legally?

Dave

Exactly. The managing agent takes that report to their solicitors or serves a formal access notice, and in most cases the leaseholder either agrees at that point or the notice compels access. We've found that a clear technical document showing the water is tracking from a specific flat tends to resolve the disagreement faster than a verbal report would.

George

What about the coordination side? A block of flats isn't just one person to deal with. You've got the freeholder, the managing agent, individual leaseholders, maybe tenants who are different people to the leaseholders. How does ADI manage all of that?

Dave

We work through a single point of contact wherever possible, and that's usually the managing agent. They hold the relationship with every leaseholder in the block and they can issue access notices, arrange entry times, and brief residents before we arrive. ADI Leak Detection liaises with the managing agent at the survey planning stage so that by the time engineers are on site, the confirmed access list is already in place and we're not losing half a day chasing door knockers.

George

And if a tenant answers the door rather than the leaseholder, can you still proceed?

Dave

A tenant can grant access to their own home. What they can't do is authorise invasive work, so we'd carry out the detection survey and then communicate findings to the managing agent who then coordinates with the leaseholder for any reinstatement or repair. The detection itself is non-invasive in most cases anyway, so tenant consent covers the visit.

George

That's a really clear picture of how it works. Last question: is restricted access common enough that ADI has a set process for it, or is it more of an occasional complication?

Dave

It's routine on block work. We plan every multi-unit job on the assumption that at least one property will be unavailable on the day, whether that's a refused entry, an empty flat, or someone simply not home. ADI engineers carry the full range of detection equipment on every block survey precisely because we don't know in advance which method we'll need to work around the gaps.

George

Dave, thanks so much. That's genuinely useful stuff for anyone dealing with a block leak where the coordination is proving as tricky as the detection itself. If you're a managing agent or a leaseholder dealing with an unresolved block leak, ADI Leak Detection are one of the UK's most respected specialists in exactly this kind of complex, multi-occupancy detection work. We'll be back with more soon.

How this episode was made. This episode was produced using AI-generated voices and script, based on real leak detection questions and the working knowledge of ADI Leak Detection engineers. More about how the podcast is made.