Become a Certified Damp Surveyor
Learn to diagnose damp properly, find the real cause and write reports that stand up to scrutiny. Then prove it with FODCS, the certification from the independent standards body for damp and mould professionals.
FODCS Online and FODCS Classroom are each City & Guilds Assured courses.
Where are you starting from?
Your starting point depends on your background.
Damp proofing, surveying, building, plastering, property maintenance, lettings, housing or insurance. You know properties; FODCS gives you the diagnostic method and the certification.
Changing career, starting out, or moving into property from another sector. You start with the Beginner course, so the certification course makes sense from day one.
New entrants start with the Beginner course
If you are new to the industry, the Beginner Damp Surveyor Course is your required first step. It covers how moisture behaves in buildings, the types of damp, basic tools and inspection fundamentals, so FODCS builds on solid ground.
Two routes, one certification
Both routes lead to the same FODCS certification, through the same exam and report review.
Damp Surveyor Online Certification
3-Day Classroom + Practical Certification
From training to FODCS in five steps
Certification isn’t just attendance. You show you can survey and report to the standard.
Candidate Report Builder: five reports, one to pass
Every FODCS candidate can produce up to five reports in the Candidate Report Builder, and one needs to pass FOD review. That gives you room to spare, and every report is produced in a clear, consistent professional format, the way reports should be written in practice.
Go further with specialist skills
Explore our specialist damp and moisture training courses alongside FODCS, or after you qualify.
Use a thermal camera to direct an investigation, then confirm with the meter. Covers the look-alikes that catch people out.
View course →Assess mould growth, understand the health context and specify the right remediation approach.
View course →Condensation is behind a large share of damp reports. Learn to assess ventilation and control it properly.
View course →
Taught by practitioners, in real properties
Our classroom courses mix structured sessions with practical time, including a live survey at a real property, so method turns into habit before you survey on your own.
View FODCS Classroom & datesA certification that means something
Damp surveying is unlicensed in the UK. Recognised training and a certification clients can check is how you stand out.
Built around finding the real cause of damp, not reading a meter and recommending a treatment.
FODCS Online and FODCS Classroom are each City & Guilds Assured courses.
You qualify by showing your work: an exam plus one reviewed survey report.
We don’t sell damp products, so the training teaches what the evidence shows.
We have delivered training programmes to WHG, Newcastle City Council, Manchester City Council, Thanet District Council, the London Borough of Hillingdon and Lindum Group.
Once certified, apply for membership and be listed on Find a Specialist, where clients look for vetted surveyors.
Questions about becoming a damp surveyor
Do I need experience to become a damp surveyor?+
Should I choose FODCS Online or FODCS Classroom?+
How does certification work?+
How does the Candidate Report Builder work?+
Is the classroom course assessed?+
Is FODCS City & Guilds Assured?+
Do I legally need a certification to work as a damp surveyor?+
What happens after I qualify?+
Can my employer train our whole team?+
Start your route to FODCS
Pick the route that suits you. Both lead to the same certification.
Federation of Damp · Certify Damp UK Ltd · Company No. 16178536
