Water in a garage does not always begin inside the garage. In this Swieqi case, the tenant reported water appearing below the property, so the inspection started with the house and then moved toward the garage and surrounding details.
The thermal sweep of the house did not show a clear internal anomaly. In the garage, however, colder patterns clustered around a small internal shaft and the back wall. Behind that wall was a well, so the investigation had to widen.
The surface details mattered
In the common area, several risk factors were visible:
- Failed or missing grout, allowing water to migrate through joints.
- Missing scalloping or poor falls around borders, allowing water to sit instead of shedding away.
- AC units discharging onto surfaces, creating a constant moisture load.
- Drainage from a neighbouring area affecting the dividing wall.
At the well, the water level sat far below the overflow and historic full mark. That does not prove every path by itself, but it raised a serious concern that the well or surrounding structure needed integrity checks.
Recommended work
The recommendations were to re-grout the common area, correct the perimeter falls, inspect and repair the well if required, repair or replace the irrigation pump, install proper AC condensate drainage into hoppers or dedicated lines, and notify the neighbour where drainage was damaging the dividing wall.
Why this needed a professional inspection
This was not a simple “garage leak” case. It involved surface water management, possible well integrity, neighbouring drainage and moisture tracking. Opening the garage wall first would not necessarily have solved the source.
If your garage smells damp, shows salt bloom or keeps receiving water from an unclear route, book a water leak detection inspection before breaking finishes in the wrong place.