Damp issues?

towseriv

MY survey cam eback today and said the damp course dates from around 1995 but there may be issues. Do you think that a guarentee may still be current? Also how much would a specialist cost to look into this further?
Help please

silvercar

MY survey cam eback today and said the damp course dates from around 1995 but there may be issues

They certainly know how to cover themselves!

I doubt a guarantee is still current from 11 years ago.

A specialist may will give you a free quote to repair it; but then I would be worried that they would say repairs are needed to generate work for themselves.

towseriv

As an addition is it a risk asking for some of the sale price back in order to rectify the issue? I dont want to lose this house as it is in the right place and a bargain (not because of these issues) We just cannot afford to buy and then spend £1000 fixing the damp.

cattie

If the damp proof course was installed by a reputable company with an insurance backed guarantee then it should be covered for between 20-30yrs.

The vendor's should have the certificate. If not, then you are out of luck.

You don't necessarily have to pay for a report from a specialist damp company. If you call a couple of local reputable firms dealing with damp issues, they will usually give you free advice & estimates. Make sure they offer insurance backed guarantees. Avoid the outfits that advertise with freephone numbers, claiming that they operate in every single area that surrounds the one you live in. These are often rip off merchants.

clairehi

Hi

we had damp proofing work done under a 25 year guarantee. that said, its not worth anything if the company have ceased trading in the meantime. check with the vendor.

what does it mean "there may be issues?" is it damp or not?

imo, the best option is to get a decent builder, pref. on personal recommendation, to come and assess whether any work needs doing. if you get a damp proofing contractor to do a report, they will almost certainly tell you that a DPC is needed whether it is or not.

how old is the house and are there any obvious signs of damp ie damage to decoration inside the house?

towseriv

The report says "Lounge plastered wall adjacent to firplace requires attention due to high damp reading, Lounge skirting decayed due to high damp readings, there , may be further issues to this, We understand the damp course was instaled around 1995 with a guarentee. Due to high damp readings we recommend the installer inspects the work carried out"

Poppy9

I had a damp proof course in my old house with a 25 year guarantee. I called them back a few times as damp was still coming through. No-one could find the source of the damp. When we sold the house we passed on the guarantee and I know the new owner called them back over the years. Trouble is if they can't find the source of the damp then it's difficult to cure it. The house a 1900 terrace.

I'm sure I read somewhere on this site with a link to another site that all walls will register on a damp meter. Doesn't always mean there is a damp problem. Do a search to see if you can find the thread.

towseriv

Another thing that makes me smile is "Inspection of the floors was severly imeded by the existance of secure floor coverings" In surveyors language this means they were not paid to lift up and check under a carpet

clairehi

Poppy9 wrote:

I had a damp proof course in my old house with a 25 year guarantee. I called them back a few times as damp was still coming through. No-one could find the source of the damp. .

which is a perfect illustration of why DPC companies are a waste of time - they are not actually diagnosing and dealing with the damp problem, they simply sell you their solution regardless of what your problem actually is.

clairehi

towseriv wrote:

The report says "Lounge plastered wall adjacent to firplace requires attention due to high damp reading, Lounge skirting decayed due to high damp readings, there , may be further issues to this, We understand the damp course was instaled around 1995 with a guarentee. Due to high damp readings we recommend the installer inspects the work carried out"

sounds perfectly reasonable. the vendor should provide any guarantees to you with the house inventory, if they have not already done so. if they cant produce a guarantee, can you be sure the dpc exists at all? I renegotiated a price for a house beause the vendor told us there was a dpc but later on could not produce any evidence of it.

however the cause of the damp may be unrelated to the dpc, so I would still recommend getting a decent builder to take a look. if its only in one area of one room, it seems unlikely that there is a major major damp problem in the house.

Bun

This could just be a simple case of condensation damage, which you cure with heating and ventilation. If the place does not have that damp feel and smell to it generally, I would not let a damp report stop me from buying the property. Once you have lived in it for a few weeks you will know if there is a big problem or not. The builder idea is good. Most rising damp is not that at all from the sources I've read. If you google dampness you will see how much is read into this whent there is actually little problem.