Dsm Property Services Inc

Home Inspection
Mississauga ON
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HomeStars  >  Plumbing in Mississauga  >  Dsm Property Services Inc  >  (Lack of) Investigation to determine source of a leak
Katie in Toronto
Katie in Toronto
1 review Simcoe County, ON
1/10

(Lack of) Investigation to determine source of a leak

We had a leak that appeared to be coming in through the flat roof area under a sundeck. The leak was near the exterior door that led to the deck. The flashing looked like it was in rough shape and a previous owner had put tape over large parts of it. I had assumed the leak was through the flashing but a roofer suggested I look into getting a contractor or home inspection company to determine whether the leak was from flashing or from the door frame itself. Not all home inspection companies offer leak source investigation services to determine the source of a leak so that was my first question when I spoke to Vito. I explained the situation. We had the ceiling opened up and knew where the water was coming in, it was either the flashing or the door frame. Vito said he does provide this kind of service and noted he can't always find the source of the leak but he usually does. I am aware that it's not always possible to find the source of the leak (even when you do a proper investigation) so that didn't bother me. I decided to go with Vito based on price (he offered the service for $25 less than my neighbour had paid for the same kind of service) and because he was able to come on fairly short notice. Vito kept in touch with me the morning that he came to let me know when he would be there. He was punctual. However, he didn't do what I consider to be any satisfactory investigation of the source of the leak. He looked at the roof, and the door. He then told me that the leak was coming from the flashing or the door (which is what I had told him). He had seemed to linger for a bit at that point, just talking about roofing and other things. So I got the sense that he wasn't planning on doing anything. He then said I should take the tape off the flashing, run silicone caulking everywhere there was tape (quite a big area) and then run a hose on it and see if I get a leak. I said I thought he would do a hose test today (my understanding is this is a standard way to determine a the source of a leak). Putting silicone on and then running a hose wouldn't help determine the source of the leak (or whether the leak was fixed) because we don't know whether the flashing leaked before applying silicone. Although I am pretty handy and would normally do a hose test myself, I hired someone to do this for me because I was 8+ months pregnant. When I said I thought he would be doing a leak test today, he just looked down and didn't say anything. He said something about it's too bad he didn't come when there was a big rain so he could use his moisture read (he didn't come inside my house with any equipment). We were in the middle of a heat wave so it was a perfect time to do a hose test. I was galled when after taking a look at my roof and not doing anything to determine the source of the leak Vito then expected to be paid the amount we agreed upon. I've never hired someone who did so little. He may be perfectly competent and great at doing home inspections, but I would not hire him to investigate or determine the source of a leak.

Approximate cost of services:
$175.00
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Company Response

Thank you for taking the time to post a review on your experience. I am, however, sorry to hear that it was not satisfactory. I would like to apologize for any misunderstanding there may have been at the time of your booking regarding the scope and process of the inspection, which consists of a visual inspection of all interior and exterior surrounding surfaces, including a thermal scan. Please call or email me directly for clarification to help resolve your concern.