Damp in entrance hallway - problem or not?

Gillby1

I'm purchasing my first house, and the surveyor has reported damp in the entrance hallway. The property is a first floor maisonette, and the entrance hallway is a small space on the ground floor leading to our stairs. It is not shared.

The surveyor noted 40% damp in the floorboards and 20% in the walls, and has mentioned that it MAY be a sign of underfloor rotting. However, the owner claims that the area is just prone to condensation as it is unheated. I know nothing abiut damp, but is it possible that 40% damp could be caused simply by condensation, and that it wouldn't be an issue if we were testing during the warmer months of the year?

Thanks

Gill

Avoriaz

Be very cautious and ask your surveyor for more advice. Those levels of damp are very serious and I very much doubt that it is caused by condensation alone.

Before agreeing to buy get a few quotes from specialist companies to remedy the problem. The cost will probably be many £ thousands.

Please don’t let your emotions in buying your first home lead you to overlook this.;)

Gillby1

Thanks for the advice, Avoriaz.

We did ask a timber specialist to check it out, but all they've done is told us how much it would cost to damp proof the walls (£1k). They couldn't check under the timber without undertaking extensive work?? We've spoken to the buyer, and he says that he's not prepared to even consider lowering the price or getting the work done as the area isn't 'inhabited'. Should we walk away from this one? I was hoping that the damp would be due to condensation, but obviously this is a high level of damp and it's unlikely to be so simple?

andrew-b

My father is a now retired building surveyor so i'd say listen to the surveyor! Hear what they say rather than what you want them to say! Take no notice of the vendor or estate agent as both are after one thing - a sale for the highest price possible.

The dampness found sounds quite significant to me. Ask the surveyor if in his professional opinion if you should proceed with the purchase at the asking price and whether the asking price is actually reasonable if the vendor refuses to negotiate any further on price.

If your considering going ahead and getting the problems sorted then you really need to find out more precisely how much it will cost to sort out completely. The £1k you've had so far could just be the tip of the iceberg. So get a second opinion from another specialist - your surveyor may be able to recommend someone in your area.

Also use being a first time buyer to your advantage and sell this to them ...your not in a chain and presumably can move pretty quickly subject to finances being sorted out and searches etc. If finances are sorted already even better!

We bought our first house back in august - but not until two other purchases fell through - one because the vendor wouldn't negotiate on price or resolve existing problems so we pulled out and the second because the vendor pulled out a week before exchange of contracts for health reasons. So i'd say whatever you do don't get emotionally attached UNTIL you hold the keys to your new house as anything can happen - the sleepless nights until i held the keys are still fresh in my memory!

If it were me and based on what you've told us (you need more info really to make an informed decision) i think my gut feel would be to walk away from this one as the level of damp sounds pretty high. If the vendor really wants his house sold then his going to have to negotiate either on price or to get the damp sorted.

Don't be afraid to pull out of the purchase though...there's always another house to view! In hindsight i'm glad of our failed purchases as we ended up with somewhere better with money left to decorate and furnish it the way we want - though it took us the best part of a year to get there!

Andy

Gillby1

Thanks Andy! I'm going to speak to the surveyor tomorrow to ask for advice, and i suspect that we'll have to pull out unless the vendor agrees to take at least some action. However, i know he's in a rush to sell, so i have my fingers crossed!

Avoriaz

Don’t walk away from this.

Run away from it.

I am serious. Do not consider buying this property even at a discount until and unless someone has properly investigated the cause of the damp and you have at least two estimates for corrective repairs. Even then proceed with great caution. I would only consider buying it if the vendor agreed to have the work done before purchase.

He is trying it on. It might not be an inhabited part of the building, but it is an important part of the building. You do not want your entrance to smell of damp. You do not want damp rising up the walls to the inhabited rooms. You do not want rotten and collapsing floors creating a hazard at your front door. You do not want dry rot or wet rot in timbers spreading throughout the property.

This is not a minor problem. It is a very serious problem that requires immediate and expensive remedies. £1,000 is unlikely to go very far correcting that level of damp. You could be looking at major excavation work, replacement of floor timbers, damp proofing of walls etc. £10,000 is probably nearer the mark.