Home buyersurvey says damp on interior walls

Frankie19

Hi my home buyer survey say:

Internal walls are solid with a plastered finish with evidence of dampness.

Condition rating 3. Further investigation.

elsewhere it says external walls and rook is fine. How should I interpret this? I have asked the surveyor to confirm what the extent of this is.

Can anyone else advise? if I need further damp survey can anyone make any surveyor recomendations?

G_M

Talk to the surveyor.

How did he find the evidence of dampness? Run his finger down wall and find it wet? Or use an unreliable 'damp meter'?

How extensive is the dampness? Just at the base of the wall? All up the wall? At the top only? - this will indicate possible causes (gutter /dpc /condensation...)

Beware getting a damp poofing company in for a survey - their 'surveyor' is a salesman who (surprise!) WILL find damp which his company CAN fix for you.....

motherofstudents

You've done the right thing by contacting the surveyor. They will usually talk to you more informally than in a survey report. You need to know what is causing the damp before you can do anything about it.
Has the house been left empty and unheated ? It could be condensation. Is there any sign of a leak anywhere ?

As GM says, don't get a dpc company round. If you know a decent builder they should be able to have a look and give you a good idea of what's wrong but if you want to be sure, you can also get a specialist damp and timber survey done. You would have to pay (around the £165 mark) but it could save you money in the long run.

Frankie19

I have spoken to te surveyor and he said it was rising damp as the damp course had broken down. What do you recommend? Do I get a damp course contractor in to quote as surveyor suggested? or do I get a builder in to advise? all sounds exspensive so I guess I will speak to estate agent about impact on my offer??

kingstreet

An independent surveyor is more likely to give you an objective report on the issue;-

http://www.independentdampsurveyors.co.uk/

I would not get a damp-course installer in to quote until you are certain that is the problem.

A (chartered) surveyor is a GP who passes the symptoms over to a Consultant to decide the problem and its treatment. Get the Consultant in, then submit the report to the GP for his opinion.

You cannot renegotiate the price of the property until you have the full facts and the cost impact.

teneighty

I'll come back to this later, on reflection I wasn't happy with my input. Sorry

teneighty

OK, I'll try again with a slightly more thoughtful response.

At this stage in the buying process as well as the independent damp surveyor it may be worth using a local damp-proofing firm just to get a free report and quotes to use to re-negotiate the price. Ask the agent if you can get specialist contractors to inspect the property. You'll probably find some contractors will charge for this but don't assume that makes them an independent surveyor and take what they say with a very large pinch of salt. I would say most of these firms will give you the worst case scenario as they have a vested interest in selling you their installation service so will give high quotes which will be useful for re-negotiating downwards.

Once you've paid for the independent damp experts report the damp may may turn out to be caused by a leaking water pipe or radiator in which case it could be a simple cheapish repair and the substantial reduction you managed to negotiate will pay for a nice holiday.

Voyager2002

Frankie19 wrote: »

I have spoken to te surveyor and he said it was rising damp as the damp course had broken down. What do you recommend? Do I get a damp course contractor in to quote as surveyor suggested? or do I get a builder in to advise? all sounds exspensive so I guess I will speak to estate agent about impact on my offer??

Find out whether the existing (broken) damp-proof course is still under guarantee, and in any case ask the company that supplied it to tell you what is going on. They will obviously have an interest in providing a best-case scenario, but it would be useful for you to have their input.

Frankie19

Thankyou people. The house was built in 1935 so I am not sure if there will be records of the original damp course.

I have cotacted a few independent surveyors and some fitters to see what they can do for surveys advice etc.

The estate agent has offered to speak to the damp surveyor they use. Is this wise? Am I better doing it independently of the EA since they are working for the seller?

spannerzone

Just remember that many people still don't beleive rising damp actually exists and damp problems can be from a variety of sources. A damp proofing company will almost certainly tell you the damp proof course has failed and so plaster needs removing and chemicals injecting.

I many cases damp comes from other sources including exhaled air, drying clothes indoors, insufficient airflow and extraction of kitchen/bathroom and condensation.

My house has some damp walls and I'm sure it's condensation rather than rising damp as it seems damp when it's humid (like today) and can be bone dry when it's pouring rain.

For ref: http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising_damp.html
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/-rising-damp-is-a-myth-says-former-rics-chief/5204095.article

mishmogs

I would let the agent send someone round they use and also get your own done for a 'comparison' if nothing else.

I once owned a terraced house and the house next door had been empty for years and was owned by a builder who stored his gear in there. when I sold my house unsurprisingly, that wall came up as damp on the survey report so I spoke to the builder and he installed a new dpc and I replaced about 18" of plaster, job done.

Also agree with a previous poster about rising damp, its subjective as damp does come from a number of sources.

Hope this helps.