Sam Fitzgerald, FODCS

Sam Fitzgerald founded the Federation of Damp to fix a problem he kept meeting in the field: damp and mould being misdiagnosed, mistreated and mis-sold across the UK, with homeowners and housing providers paying for the wrong work because nobody had verified the person diagnosing it.

His background is hands-on. As the owner of Advanced Damp, a damp proofing and waterproofing contractor working across London and the South East, Sam's understanding of moisture problems comes from live properties rather than textbooks: condensation misread as rising damp, leaks treated as penetrating damp, and the cost those mistakes pass on to the people who own and live in the buildings.

The Federation of Damp turns that field experience into standards. Sam developed its certification programmes, including the FODCS surveyor certification, around evidence-led diagnosis: establish the moisture source with proper investigation before recommending any treatment. The same approach underpins the Federation's vetted specialist register, its homeowner guidance, and the training Sam delivers to housing providers, including programmes for Manchester City Council, Thanet District Council, the London Borough of Hillingdon and Lindum Group.

Sam writes regularly on damp diagnosis, mould, Awaab's Law compliance and professional standards, all of it built on the cases, training rooms and survey visits that make up the day job.