HomeBuyer Report - 3's...

mistykal5

Good afternoon all,

Just looking for a bit of friendly advice.

I've just recieved the HomeBuyers Report for a property that we're in the process of buying, but it comes back with several 3's.

1) The first is for Damp on the walls, as there were high moisture readings. My question is that if I have a specialist come and check it, won't they just try to sell me a damp course anyway? I'm not sure if this could also be linked with point 2 - maybe insufficient ventilation?

2) The report also says that 2 first floor windows have blown, but I'm not even sure what this means?

3 )And lastly the Electricity, Gas, Heating and Water Heating were all 3's but just says to check before use - is this normal?

Thanks for any help that can be provided...

andy.m_2

all normal stuff.
In fact the last few houses I bought all had high damp readings, I kid you not at each one we lifted the floorboards and removed the pile of muck against the sleeper wall, et voila, no more damp.

You Engineer would not sign off incoming services as he is not qualified so they put in a standard disclaimer.

Blown windows I suggest would be the seals to UPVC units meaning that they are "fogged", easy to replace these days at £250 or so per window unit.

Nothing there jumps out at me as a show stopper

G_M

mistykal5 wrote: »

Good afternoon all,

Just looking for a bit of friendly advice.

I've just recieved the HomeBuyers Report for a property that we're in the process of buying, but it comes back with several 3's.

1) The first is for Damp on the walls, as there were high moisture readings. My question is that if I have a specialist come and check it, won't they just try to sell me a damp course anyway? I'm not sure if this could also be linked with point 2 - maybe insufficient ventilation?
Yes, if you get a free 'survey' from a damp firm, the 'salesman' will find damp! Pay for an independant damp specialist with no sales agenda.

2) The report also says that 2 first floor windows have blown, but I'm not even sure what this means? there is air getting between the double glazing. I've lived with a window like this for 5 years. It's a bit foggy. Big deal!

3 )And lastly the Electricity, Gas, Heating and Water Heating were all 3's but just says to check before use - is this normal?
Normal. Surveyors are not electricians/ gas engineers, so unless he's actually stated he saw something specific (smoke coming from boiler? 50 year old fuse box?) it means nothing
Thanks for any help that can be provided...

Damp is often mis-diagnosed by 'damp' meters. Read here.

Even if there IS damp, it is usually caused by minor problems (blocked gutters/downpipes etc), but till you know the cause....

jjlandlord

mistykal5 wrote: »

3 )And lastly the Electricity, Gas, Heating and Water Heating were all 3's but just says to check before use - is this normal?

No it's not normal.
There should be a description of the inspection that indicates why the surveyor came to set these as '3'.
While, as G_M said, surveyor are not qualified to judge in details they should be picking potential red flags: Old boiler, old fuse box, etc. and should not set '3' by default.
It's up to you to use your judgement now based on the visible condition of these installations.

G_M

jjlandlord wrote: »

No it's not normal.
There should be a description of the inspection that indicates why the surveyor came to set these as '3'.
While, as G_M said, surveyor are not qualified to judge in details they should be picking potential red flags: Old boiler, old fuse box, etc. and should not set '3' by default.
It's up to you to use your judgement now based on the visible condition of these installations.

I agree, but hence my caveat: " unless he's actually stated he saw something specific (smoke coming from boiler? 50 year old fuse box?) "
Normally there would be some indication, and not just a bland "3 - check before use"

Fire_Fox

Get an independent damp specialist in NOT someone who works for a company selling damp proof courses. You should pay for their report. If the damp was insufficient ventilation that would be condensation, which generally goes mouldy. Penetrating and rising damp don't go mouldy because the salts coming out of the plaster inhibit mould growth. However you can have more than one type of damp.

I had a period property where most of the rising damp was caused by the existing DPC being bridged by crud inside the chimney breast, by plaster going right down to the floor behind the skirting, by a too high new floor. First two cost nothing to fix, just needed the professional to root out the problem.

Replacing blown sealed units may be covered on the double glazing guarantee, worth asking. All that means is the units are not sealed anymore and water has got between the two panes of glass so it looks misty.

mistykal5

jjlandlord wrote: »

No it's not normal.
There should be a description of the inspection that indicates why the surveyor came to set these as '3'.
While, as G_M said, surveyor are not qualified to judge in details they should be picking potential red flags: Old boiler, old fuse box, etc. and should not set '3' by default.
It's up to you to use your judgement now based on the visible condition of these installations.

Thanks for all of the information so far.

The 3's don't flag any reason for there being a problem - for example the boiler was replaced in 2010 - I've seen the paperwork for it - and the report states it was working when the surveyor was there - so not sure why it has a 3 - same with the other ones.

The main concern was for the high moisture readings inside the property.

Miss_Ratty

Hi there,
I can assure you that we have had excessive moisture readings in our living room for over 7 years since we've been here...which was picked up in our survey, but has never given us a problem. We don't decorate that often and I have never seen any physical indication of damp.

Our windows have also started to come to the end of their lives, and you can just get the glass unit replaced at what I think is quite reasonable, we just had 3 windows (units) done, and two were 60 quid, the other was 80. Use local companies for quotes, the national ones will try to rip you off big style.

As for your appliances, if they are of concern you can always ask for safety certificates, which aren't that expensive. You could either ask the vendor or pay yourself. I doubt there is anything to be worried about though, as the surveyor just hasn't tested them and cant so cannot say that they are in perfect working order.