Buying a flat, damp smell, help!

DieHard

They are purpose built flats, they were built about three years ago. I first looked at this flat at the end of the summer and there has obviously been a smell in some form or other since then, although she did tell me she had not needed the heating on since April which suggests it is a warm flat.

clutton_2

i doubt they will be single skin if they are only 3 years old....

poppysarah

Find another flat to go and view.

DieHard

If I hadn't already paid for a homebuyers report and spent money on conveyancing I would do just that - no question and without a second thought.

As I have spent some money, I just want to make sure I am not over reacting before I thrown my money down the drain.

If it had not been stuck at the conveyancing stage for so long I would have probably already been moved in so it is quite lucky in a way that i still have the option to walk away before it turns into a total disaster.

The only other thing is I have given notice on the flat I rent (well three times actually as I kept having to put back the date).

This is the first time I have bought my own property and all in all it has been a bit of a nightmare.

paddy's_mum

Why are several of the other flats in the block empty?

DieHard

They are repossessions, they aren't empty any more but they were when I originally started this.

When they were first built they went for £130,000, now they are going for around £75,000.

If it wasn't for this smell it would be perfect, it has fitted wardrobes, fitted dishwasher, oven, washing machine, it is a really nice flat.

WhiteHorse

A good book for these problems is The Damp House: A Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Dampness by Jonathan Hetreed.

G_M

DieHard wrote: »

If it wasn't for this smell it would be perfect, it has fitted wardrobes, fitted dishwasher, oven, washing machine, it is a really nice flat.

To me, this sounds a ludicrous reason for buying or falling in love with a flat.
Wardrobes, washing machine, dishwasher?!! A few hundred pounds. You can put these into ANY flat.

It is the FLAT that matters. Location, size, local amenities, underlying structure, even the management company/service charge set-up are more important than the things you have set your heart on.

BitterAndTwisted

I'd be knocking on the doors of the next-door neighbours and asking them about any damp problems they may know about.....

Errata

OP - are you absolutely certain you can smell damp? Could stinky people smells lying around in an unheated property during the current cold snap be what you can smell? Your dad said he could smell wet dog, but that doesn't really smell like damp, it just smells like wet dog. Which could be stinky people smells.