Help - big problems found with new home

daniel0408

I think you missed the point of what I was saying. I asked for opinions on what to do now - telling me what I should have done in the past doesn't actually help me any with the situation in hand. That's exactly what the first bunch of posts were doing and no one referred to vendor culpability.

jack_spratt_2

I have to tend to agree that a full structural survey can be more a case of the surveyor covering his backside and you just getting a general idea of the condition of the house !!! its a difficult one and I think a few ground rules need to stated when instructing a surveyor .

I really hope your problems are not as bad as you fear and it was very short sighted by the previous owner not to make sure his home was structurally sound to be honest !!I do not think you will have much luck persuing your case against the previous owner !!
But just as a suggestion many home insurance policies have a free legal advice telephone number you could try and ask there opinion as to if it is worth pursuing.

I am sure it is very disappointing moving into your new home and finding you have problems

Good luck

roger196

1 The vendor is unlikely to be an expert in damp problems, therefore his comment was to employ your own surveyor.
2 If the vendor applied the damp proofing paint, he will honestly believe that he has cured the problem. The question is not whether there has ever been any damp but whether there is currently damp.
3 If the damp problem is that obvious to the non-expert, why did you not spot it.
4 The whole point of the survey is to get an expert to identify any problems. If you choose not to do this, it is at your own risk.
5 Going to court is an expensive waste of your own resources. Whilst making solicitors rich is good for solicitors, it is not good for you.
6 Put your money to sorting out the problem. Buy a book on house repairs / snagging so that you will be able to identify problems in future.

Cissi

daniel0408 wrote: »

I think you missed the point of what I was saying. I asked for opinions on what to do now.

From reading the replies, most people here seem to agree that what you should do now is get a couple of quotes for the work that needs to be done, not just relying on the opinion of one builder. Forget about suing anybody - while you may be morally right (especially where the vendor is concerned) unfortunately legally it's much more difficult and could end up costing you a lot of money for nothing.

tomstickland

daniel0408 wrote: »

I didn't expect to be lied to when I bought mine.

How do you know that they knew about it?

daniel0408

For reasons already mentioned. They lived there for 25 years and it has been covered over with damp proof paint in the not too distant past.

lincroft1710

no one referred to vendor culpability.

Most of us don't believe in it and have posted likewise.

We are trying to help you by telling you not to chase good money after bad by suing someone whom you cannot prove has lied if they did indeed lie.

Fire_Fox

daniel0408 wrote: »

I think you missed the point of what I was saying. I asked for opinions on what to do now - telling me what I should have done in the past doesn't actually help me any with the situation in hand. That's exactly what the first bunch of posts were doing and no one referred to vendor culpability.

Wrong, I did in post four and again in post nine!!

googler

daniel0408 wrote: »

For reasons already mentioned. They lived there for 25 years and it has been covered over with damp proof paint in the not too distant past.

How can you tell it was applied recently, and not by a previous owner?

How do you know the vendors you bought from knew about it?

Lastly, you asked for suggestions what to do next. OK, don't take the current builder at his word. Ask two, three or more other builders to inspect and quote for what's needed to rectify it, then pick one and get it done.

Don't think of pursuing the vendors by legal means, IMHO.

clutton_2

you have a young child... you are unhappy to put her into this bedroom without the damp being sorted....


get another quote from a different builder/damp expert and then sort the damp... keep the receipts...

if necessary you must borrow the money and do the work... you really have few choices ... or let your child sleep in your bedroom room whilst you save the money....

only then think about IF or whether you can afford to sue the ex owner.....

btw - rising damp does not go up as high as bedrooms.. so it could be simply blocked gutters, cracked pointing, loose ridge tiles... all of which can be quite cheap to fix......