Survey Reveals Damp & Woodworm

arif50

I am a home mover and looking to move from our 1 bed flat in to a 3 bedroom 1900s house. We viewed many properties in a short space of time and this one ticked all the boxes.

To secure the property we offered the full asking price (whole other story!) and things have been progressing smoothly. The home-buyers survey valued it at the asking price but did find some damp and recommended an expert take a look.

Kenwood Plc did the inspection (specialists in damp-proofing, woodworm and dry rot) and got back with quotes on things today. They found that:

1. Damp was found in 2 rooms due to 'lack of an effective damp-proof course'
2. Quote for all the damp proofing work is £750+VAT
3. Woodworm also found in the staircase (Anobium punctatum) - quote for treating this was £390+ VAT
4. They recommended treating the rest of the house to help prevent against the woodworm spreading at £280+VAT

Do I now go back to the estate agent and ask for a reduction in the asking price? Or do I ask the vendor to fix these items prior to exchange and ask them to pay for it? How much can I ask for off - the full amount of all the mentioned items - or maybe just the damp + staircase treatment for woodworm?

I've not been in this situation before so would appreciate any advice on how to deal with this situation.

Where should I start the negotiation - what should I expect in terms of an agreement.

Any input appreciated - thanks in advance!

G_M

This was a free 'survey' yes? By a 'surveyor' (SALESMAN) for the company that is now recommending work they can do?

Take it with a pinch of salt and get an independant survey done by someone with NO vested interest.

If there really is damp/active woodworm, then yes, negoiate a reduction, but if the vendors have lived there without damp problems for years they might be a bit surprised and sceptical!

How old is the house. It is rare for a dpc to fail ('become defective'), though quite common for people to build drives/patios/flowerbeds outside above the height of the dpc thus breaching it.

Has the property ever been treated for worm before? Have you/your solicitor asked? Is there a certificate? Even after treatment, the worm holes remain, though the worm are not active - but a canny salesman will show you or report the holes and recommend treatment.

Damp/worm can be problems, but the industry is full of scams, so independant surveys are vital, as well as some commonse verification of the facts.

arif50

The initial damp was picked up by the homebuyers survey thingy, and the follow-up inspection done by Kenwood Plc - yes, a free report done by the company who offer the treatments. Point taken about them having a vested interest!

The home is old - constructed in the 1900s.

G_M

arif50 wrote: »

The initial damp was picked up by the homebuyers survey thingy, and the follow-up inspection done by Kenwood Plc - yes, a free report done by the company who offer the treatments. Point taken about them having a vested interest!

The home is old - constructed in the 1900s.

doubtless using a mis-named 'damp meter'. They don't measure damp, they measure electrical conductivity and are widely misused by surveyors. See here.

(Sorry - I'm really sceptical!)

kingstreet

I'm with G_M. Always avoid getting a report from a firm which has an interest in doing the work.

Have a look on here;-

http://www.property-care.org/

choose Independent Surveyor, the subject and the area and this will give you details of someone who will give you an objective report because he/she doesn't actually do the work.

arif50

G_M - thank you for including that link - first time i've read something about issues of damp being exaggerated.

It is really bad companies have been able to get away with this. I often watch 'Help My House is Falling Down' and any talk of 'damp' gets the alarm bells ringing.

I wish I had gotten an independent assessment from day 1 now as it has been 10 days since the survey mentioned damp, and yes they said 'higher than normal damp meter readings' in the initial report.

arif50

I just read the link on woodworm on the same website - very enlightening!

kingstreet

arif50 wrote: »

I wish I had gotten an independent assessment from day 1 now

Do it anyway. This could save you hundreds.

arif50

Yes, I've decided I'm going to get an independent surveyor take a look and see if the damp is a real issue or not.

If it is - then at least I already have a quote for how much it will cost to fix, if not then thats fine too - the commercial quote was free, so I haven't lost anything.

Thanks for the advice people!

arif50

Here's an update on this - first some extra info

1. The damp inspection by the damp proofing company was organised for me by the vendor's estate agent.
2. The report was sent direct to the estate agent who forwarded me a copy

I called the estate agent to let him know my plan for an independent inspection - but he told me he had some updates for me.

He said the vendor had seen a copy of the report but was not satisfied as it was a quote - not an independent survey (which people on here had pointed out too - makes sense). Also turns out the vendor is a structural engineer - interesting.

EA also told me that the vendor has himself arranged (which means he's paid for it too - which is handy) an independent inspection of the damp / woodworm situation and that when the results come in they will let me know.

kingstreet

Good. Just makes sure for yourself the surveyor is independent of any contractor when you see a copy.